Joshua sent two spies to Jericho to assess the city before Israel's invasion. They stayed at the house of Rahab, who is described as a prostitute but may have been more accurately an innkeeper based on historical context. Rahab's faith led to her being integrated into the lineage of Israel's future leaders, illustrating her significant role despite her societal label.

1. JOSHUA 2 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
Rahab and the Spies
1 Then Joshua son of un secretly sent two spies
from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said,
“especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the
house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed
there.
BAR ES, "An harlot’s house - In the face of the parallel passages (e. g. Lev_21:7 :
Jer_5:7) the rendering advocated for obvious reasons, namely, “the house of a woman,
an innkeeper,” cannot be maintained. Rahab must remain an example under the Law
similar to that Luk_7:37 under the Gospel, of “a woman that was a sinner,” yet, because
of her faith, not only pardoned, but exalted to the highest honor. Rahab was admitted
among the people of God; she intermarried into a chief family of a chief tribe, and found
a place among the best remembered ancestors of King David and of Christ; thus
receiving the temporal blessings of the covenant in largest measure. The spies would of
course betake themselves to such a house in Jericho as they could visit without exciting
suspicion; and the situation of Rahab’s, upon the wall Jos_2:15, rendered it especially
suitable. It appears from Jos_2:4 that Rahab hid them before the King’s messengers
reached her house, and probably as soon as the spies had come to her house. It is
therefore most likely that they met with Rahab outside of Jericho (compare Gen_38:14),
and ascertained where in the city she dwelt, and that they might entrust themselves to
her care. Rahab (i. e. “spacious,” “wide.” Compare the name “Japheth” and Gen_9:27,
note) is regarded by the fathers as a type of the Christian Church, which was gathered
out of converts from the whole vast circle of pagan nations.
CLARKE, "Joshua - sent - two men to spy secretly - It is very likely that these
spies had been sent out soon after the death of Moses, and therefore our marginal
reading, had sent, is to be preferred. Secretly - It is very probable also that these were

2. confidential persons, and that the transaction was between them and him alone. As they
were to pass over the Jordan opposite to Jericho, it was necessary that they should have
possession of this city, that in case of any reverses they might have no enemies in their
rear. He sent the men, therefore, to see the state of the city, avenues of approach,
fortifications, etc., that he might the better concert his mode of attack.
A harlot’s house - Harlots and inn-keepers seem to have been called by the same
name, as no doubt many who followed this mode of life, from their exposed situation,
were not the most correct in their morals. Among the ancients women generally kept
houses of entertainment, and among the Egyptians and Greeks this was common. I shall
subjoin a few proofs.
Herodotus, speaking concerning the many differences between Egypt and other
countries, and the peculiarity of their laws and customs, expressly says: Εν τοισι αᅷ µεν
γυναικες αγοραζουσι και καπηλευουσι· οᅷ δε ανδρες, κατ’ οικους εοντες, ᆓφαινουσι. “Among
the Egyptians the women carry on all commercial concerns, and keep taverns, while the
men continue at home and weave.” Herod. in Euterp., c. xxxv. Diodorus Siculus, lib. i., s.
8, and c. xxvii., asserts that “the men were the slaves of the women in Egypt, and that it
is stipulated in the marriage contract that the woman shall be the ruler of her husband,
and that he shall obey her in all things.” The same historian supposes that women had
these high privileges among the Egyptians, to perpetuate the memory of the beneficent
administration of Isis, who was afterwards deified among them. Nymphodorus, quoted
by the ancient scholiast on the Oedipus Coloneus of Sophocles, accounts for these
customs: he says that “Sesostris, finding the population of Egypt rapidly increasing,
fearing that he should not be able to govern the people or keep them united under one
head, obliged the men to assume the occupations of women, in order that they might be
rendered effeminate.” Sophocles confirms the account given by Herodotus; speaking of
Egypt he says: -
Εκει γαρ οᅷ µεν αρσενες κατα στεγας
Θακουσιν ᅷστουργουντες αᅷ δε ξυννοµοι
Τα’ ξω βιου τροφεια προσυνους’ αει
Oedip. Col. v. 352.
“There the men stay in their houses weaving cloth, while the women transact all
business out of doors, provide food for the family,” etc. It is on this passage that the
scholiast cites Nymphodorus for the information given above, and which he says is
found in the 13th chapter of his work “On the Customs of Barbarous Nations.” That the
same custom prevailed among the Greeks we have the following proof from Apuleius:
Ego vero quod primate ingressui stabulum conspicatus sum, accessi, et de Quadam
Anu Caupona illico percontor. - Aletam. lib. i., p. 18, Edit. Bip. “Having entered into the
first inn I met with, and there seeing a certain Old Woman, the Inn-Keeper, I inquired of
her.”
It is very likely that women kept the places of public entertainment among the
Philistines; and that it was with such a one, and not with a harlot, that Samson lodged;
(see Jdg_16:1, etc.); for as this custom certainly did prevail among the Egyptians, of
which we have the fullest proof above, we may naturally expect it to have prevailed also
among the Canaanites and Philistines, as we find from Apuleius that it did afterwards
among the Greeks. Besides there is more than presumptive proof that this custom
obtained among the Israelites themselves, even in the most polished period of their

3. history; for it is much more reasonable to suppose that the two women, who came to
Solomon for judgment, relative to the dead child, (1Ki_3:16, etc), were inn-keepers, than
that they were harlots. It is well known that common prostitutes, from their abandoned
course of life, scarcely ever have children; and the laws were so strict against such in
Israel, (Deu_23:18), that if these had been of that class it is not at all likely they would
have dared to appear before Solomon. All these circumstances considered, I am fully
satisfied that the term ‫זונה‬ zonah in the text, which we translate harlot, should be
rendered tavern or inn-keeper, or hostess. The spies who were sent out on this occasion
were undoubtedly the most confidential persons that Joshua had in his host; they went
on an errand of the most weighty importance, and which involved the greatest
consequences. The risk they ran of losing their lives in this enterprise was extreme. Is it
therefore likely that persons who could not escape apprehension and death, without the
miraculous interference of God, should in despite of that law which at this time must
have been so well known unto them, go into a place where they might expect, not the
blessing, but the curse, of God? Is it not therefore more likely that they went rather to an
inn to lodge than to a brothel? But what completes in my judgment the evidence on this
point is, that this very Rahab, whom we call a harlot, was actually married to Salmon, a
Jewish prince, see Mat_1:5. And is it probable that a prince of Judah would have taken
to wife such a person as our text represents Rahab to be?
It is granted that the Septuagint, who are followed by Heb_11:31, and Jam_2:25,
translate the Hebrew ‫זונה‬ zonah by πορνη, which generally signifies a prostitute; but it is
not absolutely evident that the Septuagint used the word in this sense. Every scholar
knows that the Greek word πορνη comes from περναω, to sell, as this does from περαω, to
pass from one to another; transire facio a me ad alterum; Damm. But may not this be
spoken as well of the woman’s goods as of her person? In this sense the Chaldee Targum
understood the term, and has therefore translated it ‫פונדקיתא‬ ‫אתתא‬ ittetha pundekitha, a
woman, a Tavern-Keeper. That this is the true sense many eminent men are of opinion;
and the preceding arguments render it at least very probable. To all this may be added,
that as our blessed Lord came through the line of this woman, it cannot be a matter of
little consequence to know what moral character she sustained; as an inn-keeper she
might be respectable, if not honorable; as a public prostitute she could be neither; and it
is not very likely that the providence of God would have suffered a person of such a
notoriously bad character to enter into the sacred line of his genealogy. It is true that the
cases of Tamar and Bathsheba may be thought sufficient to destroy this argument; but
whoever considers these two cases maturely will see that they differ totally from that of
Rahab, if we allow the word harlot to be legitimate. As to the objection that her husband
is nowhere mentioned in the account here given; it appears to me to have little weight.
She might have been either a single woman or a widow; and in either of these cases there
could have been no mention of a husband; or if she even had a husband it is not likely he
would have been mentioned on this occasion, as the secret seems to have been kept
religiously between her and the spies. If she were a married woman her husband might
be included in the general terms, all that she had, and all her kindred, Jos_6:23. But it is
most likely that she was a single woman or a widow, who got her bread honestly by
keeping a house of entertainment for strangers. See below.
GILL, "And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men,.... Or "had

4. sent" (p); for this was done before the above order to depart: it is a tradition of the Jews
(q), that they were Caleb and Phinehas; but they were not young men, as in Jos_6:23;
especially the former; nor is it probable that men of such rank and figure should be sent,
but rather meaner persons; yet such as were men of good sense and abilities, and
capable of conducting such an affair they were sent about, as well as men of probity and
faithfulness; two good men, Kimchi says they were, and not as they that went on the
mission of Moses; these were sent from Shittim, the same with Abelshittim, in the plains
of Moab, where Israel now lay encamped, Num_33:49, which Josephus (r) calls Abila,
and says it was sixty furlongs, or seven miles and better, from Jordan:
to spy secretly; or "silently" (s); not so much with respect to the inhabitants of the
land, for it is supposed in all spies, that they do their business in the most private and
secret manner, so as not to be discovered by the inhabitants, whose land they are sent to
spy; but with respect to the children of Israel, that they might know nothing of it, lest
they should be discouraged, thinking that Joshua was in some fear of the Canaanites,
and under some distrust of the promise of God to give the land to them: the word for
"smiths", and also for persons deaf and dumb, coming from the same root, have
furnished the Jewish writers with various conceits, as that these spies went in the habit
of smiths with the instruments of their business in their hands; or acted as deaf and
dumb persons, and so as incapable of giving an account of themselves, or of answering
to any questions put to them, should they be taken up and examined; their
commentators in general take notice of this:
saying, go view the land, even Jericho; especially Jericho, so Noldius (t); the land
in general, and Jericho in particular, because it was a great city, as Kimchi notes; of this
city; see Gill on Luk_19:4. Whether it had its name from the sweetsmelling balsam
which grew in plenty about it, or from the form of it, being that of an half moon, is not
certain, Strabo (u) says of it, that here was a paradise of balsam, an aromatic, and that it
was surrounded with hills in a plain, which bent to it like an amphitheatre. They were
not sent to spy the land, as the spies in the times of Moses, to see what sort of land it
was, and what sort of people dwelt in it; but to reconnoitre it, to know where it was best
to lead the people at first, and encamp; and particularly to observe the passes and
avenues leading to Jericho, the first city in it, nearest to them, of importance. Ben
Gersom thinks it was to spy or pick out the thoughts of the inhabitants of the land, what
apprehensions they had of the people of Israel, whether disheartened and dispirited at
their near approach, and what were their intentions, resolutions, and preparations to act
against them, offensively, or defensively; and which seems not amiss, since this was the
chief information they got, and which they reported to Joshua upon their return; though
Abarbinel objects to it as a thing impossible:
and they went, and came into a harlot's house, named Rahab; they went from
Shittim, and crossed the river Jordan, by swimming or fording, and came to Jericho;
which, as Josephus (w) says, was fifty furlongs, or seven miles and a half, from Jordan;
and they went into a harlot's house, not purposely for that reason, because it was such an
one, but so it proved eventually; though the Targum of Jonathan says it was the house of
a woman, an innkeeper or victualler; for Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, interpret the
word it uses of a seller of food (x); and if so, it furnishes out a reason why they turned in
thither, where they might expect to have food and lodging; though the Jews commonly
take her to be a harlot; and generally speaking, in those times and countries, such as
kept public houses were prostitutes; and there are some circumstances which seem to
confirm this in the context; and so the Greek version calls her, and is the character given

5. of her in the New Testament: her name was Rahab, of whom the Jews have this tradition
(y), that she was ten years of age when Israel came out of Egypt; that she played the
harlot the forty years they were in the wilderness, became the wife of Joshua, who had
daughters by her, from whom came eight prophets, Jeremiah, Hilkiah, Maasia,
Hanameel, Shallum, Baruch, the son of Neriah, Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, and some say
Huldah the prophetess; but the truth is, she married Salmon, a prince of the tribe of
Judah; see Gill on Mat_1:5,
and lodged there; that is, they went thither in order to lodge.
HE RY, "In these verses we have,
I. The prudence of Joshua, in sending spies to observe this important pass, which was
likely to be disputed at the entrance of Israel into Canaan (v. 1). Go view the land, even
Jericho. Moses had sent spies (Num. 13) Joshua himself was one of them and it proved
of ill consequence. Yet Joshua now sent spies, not, as the former were sent, to survey the
whole land, but Jericho only; not to bring the account to the whole congregation, but to
Joshua only, who, like a watchful general, was continually projecting for the public good,
and, was particularly careful to take the first step well and not to stumble at the
threshold. It was not fit that Joshua should venture over Jordan, to make his remarks
incognito - in disguise; but he sends two men (two young men, says the Septuagint), to
view the land, that from their report he might take his measures in attacking Jericho.
Observe, 1. There is no remedy, but great men must see with other people's eyes, which
makes it very necessary that they be cautious in the choice of those they employ, since so
much often depends upon their fidelity. 2. Faith in God's promise ought not to supersede
but encourage our diligence in the use of proper means. Joshua is sure he has God with
him, and yet sends men before him. We do not trust God, but tempt him, if our
expectations slacken our endeavours. 3. See how ready these men were to go upon this
hazardous enterprise. Though they put their lives in their hands yet they ventured in
obedience to Joshua their general, in zeal for the service of the camp, and in dependence
upon the power of that God who, being the keeper of Israel in general, is the protector of
every particular Israelite in the way of his duty.
II. The providence of God directing the spies to the house of Rahab. How they got over
Jordan we are not told; but into Jericho they came, which was about seven or eight miles
from the river, and there seeking for a convenient inn were directed to the house of
Rahab, here called a harlot, a woman that had formerly been of ill fame, the reproach of
which stuck to her name, though of late she had repented and reformed. Simon the leper
(Mat_26:6), though cleansed from his leprosy, wore the reproach of it in his name at
long as he lived; so Rahab the harlot; and she is so called in the New Testament, where
both her faith and her good works are praised, to teach us, 1. That the greatness of sin is
no bar to pardoning mercy if it be truly repented of in time. We read of publicans and
harlots entering into the kingdom of the Messiah, and being welcomed to all the
privileged of that kingdom, Mat_21:31. 2. That there are many who before their
conversion were very wicked and vile, and yet afterwards come to great eminence in faith
and holiness. 3. Even those that through grace have repented of the sins of their youth
must expect to bear the reproach of them, and when they hear of their old faults must
renew their repentance, and, as an evidence of that, hear of them patiently. God's Israel,
for aught that appears, had but one friend, but one well-wisher in all Jericho, and that
was Rahab a harlot. God has often served his own purposes and his church's interests by
men of different morals. Had these scouts gone to any other house than this they would
certainly have been betrayed and put to death without mercy. But God knew where they

6. had a friend that would be true to them, though they did not, and directed them thither.
Thus that which seems to us most contingent and accidental is often over-ruled by the
divine providence to serve its great ends. And those that faithfully acknowledge God in
their ways he will guide with his eye. See Jer_36:19, Jer_36:26.
III. The piety of Rahab in receiving and protecting these Israelites. Those that keep
public-houses entertain all comers, and think themselves obliged to be civil to their
guests. But Rahab showed her guests more than common civility, and went upon an
uncommon principle in what she did; it was by faith that she received those with peace
against whom her king and country had denounced war, Heb_11:31. 1. She bade them
welcome to her house; they lodged there, though it appears by what she said to them
(Jos_2:9) she knew both whence they came and what their business was. 2. Perceiving
that they were observed coming into the city, and that umbrage was taken at it, she hid
them upon the roof of the house, which was flat, and covered them with stalks of flax
(Jos_2:6), so that, if the officers should come thither to search for them, there they
might lie undiscovered. By these stalks of flax, which she herself had lain in order upon
the roof to dry in the sun, in order to the beating of it and making it ready for the wheel,
it appears she had one of the good characters of the virtuous woman, however in others
of them she might be deficient, that she sought wool and flax, and wrought willingly
with her hands, Pro_31:13. From this instance of her honest industry one would hope
that, whatever she had been formerly, she was not now a harlot.
JAMISO , "Jos_2:1-7. Rahab receives and conceals the two spies.
Joshua ... sent ... two men to spy secretly — Faith is manifested by an active,
persevering use of means (Jam_2:22); and accordingly Joshua, while confident in the
accomplishment of the divine promise (Jos_1:3), adopted every precaution which a
skilful general could think of to render his first attempt in the invasion of Canaan
successful. Two spies were dispatched to reconnoiter the country, particularly in the
neighborhood of Jericho; for in the prospect of investing that place, it was desirable to
obtain full information as to its site, its approaches, the character, and resources of its
inhabitants. This mission required the strictest privacy, and it seems to have been
studiously concealed from the knowledge of the Israelites themselves, test any
unfavorable or exaggerated report, publicly circulated, might have dispirited the people,
as that of the spies did in the days of Moses.
Jericho — Some derive this name from a word signifying “new moon,” in reference to
the crescent-like plain in which it stood, formed by an amphitheater of hills; others from
a word signifying “its scent,” on account of the fragrance of the balsam and palm trees in
which it was embosomed. Its site was long supposed to be represented by the small
mud-walled hamlet Er-Riha; but recent researches have fixed on a spot about half an
hour’s journey westward, where large ruins exist about six or eight miles distant from
the Jordan. It was for that age a strongly fortified town, the key of the eastern pass
through the deep ravine, now called Wady-Kelt, into the interior of Palestine.
they ... came into an harlot’s house — Many expositors, desirous of removing the
stigma of this name from an ancestress of the Saviour (Mat_1:5), have called her a
hostess or tavern keeper. But Scriptural usage (Lev_21:7-14; Deu_23:18; Jdg_11:1; 1Ki_
3:16), the authority of the Septuagint, followed by the apostles (Heb_11:31; Jam_2:25),
and the immemorial style of Eastern khans, which are never kept by women, establish
the propriety of the term employed in our version. Her house was probably
recommended to the spies by the convenience of its situation, without any knowledge of
the character of the inmates. But a divine influence directed them in the choice of that
lodging-place.

7. K&D, "Two Spies Sent Over to Jericho. - Jos_2:1. Although Joshua had received a
promise from the Lord of His almighty help in the conquest of Canaan, he still thought it
necessary to do what was requisite on his part to secure the success of the work
committed to him, as the help of God does not preclude human action, but rather
presupposes it. He therefore sent two men out secretly as spies from Shittim the place of
encampment at that time (see at Num_25:1), to view, i.e., explore, the land, especially
Jericho, the strongly fortified frontier town of Canaan (Jos_6:1). The word “secretly” is
connected by the accents with “saying,” giving them their instructions secretly; but this
implies that they were also sent out secretly. This was done partly in order that the
Canaanites might not hear of it, and partly in order that, if the report should prove
unfavourable, the people might not be thrown into despair, as they had been before in
the time of Moses. The spies proceeded to Jericho, and towards evening they entered the
house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there, lit. laid themselves down, intended to
remain or sleep there. Jericho was two hours' journey to the west of the Jordan, situated
in a plain that was formerly very fertile, and celebrated for its palm trees and balsam
shrubs, but which is now quite desolate and barren. This plain is encircled on the
western side by a naked and barren range of mountains, which stretches as far as Beisan
towards the north and to the Dead Sea on the south. Every trace of the town has long
since passed away, though it evidently stood somewhere near, and probably on the
northern side of, the miserable and dirty village of Rîha, by the Wady Kelt (see
Robinson, Pal. ii. pp. 279ff., 289ff.; v. Raumer, Pal. pp. 206ff.). Rahab is called a zonah,
i.e., a harlot, not an innkeeper, as Josephus, the Chaldee version, and the Rabbins
render the word. Their entering the house of such a person would not excite so much
suspicion. Moreover, the situation of her house against or upon the town wall was one
which facilitated escape. But the Lord so guided the course of the spies, that they found
in this sinner the very person who was the most suitable for their purpose, and upon
whose heart the tidings of the miracles wrought by the living God on behalf of Israel had
made such an impression, that she not only informed the spies of the despondency of the
Canaanites, but, with believing trust in the power of the God of Israel, concealed the
spies from all the inquiries of her countrymen, though at the greatest risk to herself.
SBC, "Spies are a part of the unhappy machinery of war. They are counted as necessary
as the general, or as the boy who blows the bugle. It is with an army and in a war that
Joshua is now to display Jehovah, and he must employ all the arts of the soldier. It
would have gone hard with the two spies if they had not been so strangely housed.
Rahab took her own life in her hands not to endanger theirs, She was artful, she was
brave, she was noble, she was mean; she received them at her door in peace, she let them
out at her window by stealth; she sent her own townsmen an idle chase by the river, and
she sent the strangers in safety to the hills, just because she knew that the men were
Israel’s spies.
I. Rahab’s words (Jos_2:9-11) let us know the feelings with which the Canaanites
regarded Israel in the wilderness. The fame and the fear of Israel’s name had preceded
the people like the wind travelling before a thunderstorm. It was a thing of mystery—a
nation that fed from the night and drank from the stones; it was a phantom host that
fought no one knew how. Still Jericho was determined to resist. It might be in vain, but
its king would try his sword against this spiritual thing that called itself the people of
Jehovah. There was a different spirit in one breast in Jericho, and it was the breast of a
woman. As sailors have found a mere timber of a ship hopelessly but faithfully pointing

8. to the northern star, so from amidst the fragments of what was once a woman’s life, as
they drifted in the dusk along the streets of Jericho, Rahab’s heart was trembling away
towards the star that should come out of Jacob and the sceptre that would rise out of
Israel. There is a lesson for us here. Surely there is a Diviner duty for us than, like the
wind, to chase the withered leaves of a blighted life along our streets, if only far enough
from our church doors. Surely there is manlier work for men than to trample on the
faded flowers of the forest.
II. Thus from an unlikely quarter we are taught of the power of faith. In the affray of war
Rahab sat up there with her hope, trimmed to burning like a lamp, as unafraid as the
man in the tower when the storm is round the lighthouse.
III. We have also explained to us the nature of faith. Rahab did not know what the word
"faith" meant, but the thing itself was in her heart, and it found expression, not in words,
but in works.
Thus it befell the spies at Jericho; and after three days in the mountains, they took their
report to Joshua. He heard what they had to say, and in the night the tribes of Israel
struck their tents, and in the dawn of the morning the tall grey cloud above the ark of
Jehovah was feeling its way down to the fords of the Jordan.
Armstrong Black, Contemporary Pulpit, vol. i., p. 153.
CALVI , "1.And Joshua the son of un sent, etc. The object of the exploration now
in question was different from the former one, when Joshua was sent with other
eleven to survey all the districts of the land, and bring back information to the
whole people concerning its position, nature, fertility, and other properties, the
magnitude and number of the cities, the inhabitants, and their manners. The
present object was to dispose those who might be inclined to be sluggish, to engage
with more alacrity in the campaign. And though it appears from the first chapter of
Deuteronomy, (Deuteronomy 1:22,) that Moses, at the request of the people, sent
chosen men to spy out the land, he elsewhere relates ( umbers 13:4) that he did it
by command from God. Those twelve, therefore, set out divinely commissioned, and
for a somewhat different purpose, viz., to make a thorough survey of the land, and
be the heralds of its excellence to stir up the courage of the people.
ow Joshua secretly sends two persons to ascertain whether or not a free passage
may be had over the Jordan, whether the citizens of Jericho were indulging in
security, or whether they were alert and prepared to resist. In short, he sends spies
on whose report he may provide against all dangers. Wherefore a twofold question
may be here raised — Are we to approve of his prudence? or are we to condemn
him for excessive anxiety, especially as he seems to have trusted more than was right
to his own prudence, when, without consulting God, he was so careful in taking
precautions against danger? But, inasmuch as it is not expressly said that he
received a message from heaven to order the people to collect their vessels and to
publish his proclamation concerning the passage of the Jordan, although it is
perfectly obvious that he never would have thought of moving the camp unless God
had ordered it, it is also probable that in sending the spies he consulted God as to his
pleasure in the matter, or that God himself, knowing how much need there was of
this additional confirmation, had spontaneously suggested it to the mind of his

9. servant. Be this as it may, while Joshua commands his messengers to spy out
Jericho, he is preparing to besiege it, and accordingly is desirous to ascertain in
what direction it may be most easily and safely approached.
They came into a harlot’s house, etc. Why some try to avoid the name harlot, and
interpret ‫זונה‬ as meaning one who keeps an inn, I see not, unless it be that they think
it disgraceful to be the guests of a courtesan, or wish to wipe off a stigma from a
woman who not only received the messengers kindly, but secured their safety by
singular courage and prudence. It is indeed a regular practice with the Rabbins,
when they would consult for the honor of their nation, presumptuously to wrest
Scripture and give a different turn by their fictions to anything that seems not quite
reputable. (33) But the probability is, that while the messengers were courting
secrecy, and shunning observation and all places of public intercourse, they came to
a woman who dwelt in a retired spot. Her house was contiguous to the wall of the
city, nay, its outer side was actually situated in the wall. From this we may infer that
it was some obscure corner remote from the public thoroughfare; just as persons of
her description usually live in narrow lanes and secret places. It cannot be supposed
with any consistency to have been a common inn which was open to all
indiscriminately, because they could not have felt at liberty to indulge in familiar
intercourse, and it must have been difficult in such circumstances to obtain
concealment.
My conclusion therefore is, that they obtained admission privily, and immediately
betook themselves to a hiding-place. Moreover, in the fact that a woman who had
gained a shameful livelihood by prostitution was shortly after admitted into the
body of the chosen people, and became a member of the Church, we are furnished
with a striking display of divine grace which could thus penetrate into a place of
shame, and draw forth from it not only Rahab, but her father and the other
members of her family. Most assuredly while the term ‫,זונה‬ almost invariably means
harlot, there is nothing here to oblige us to depart from the received meaning.
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:1 And Joshua the son of un sent out of Shittim two men to spy
secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an
harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there.
Ver. 1. And Joshua the son of un sent out of Shittim.] Where the people then
encamped, [ umbers 33:49] and where the Midianites sometime, by the counsel of
Balaam, Satan’s spell man, outwitted the Israelites by setting fair women before
them, who soon drew them into those two sister sins, idolatry and adultery.
[ umbers 25:1-2; umbers 25:18]
Two men.] ot twelve, as umbers 13:2-3, for those were too many by ten; and did
much harm among the people.
To spy secretly.] Heb., Silently. Silence is oft no small virtue; and he is a rare man

10. who can both keep and give counsel.
Go view the land.] Of which though God had promised to possess them, yet Joshua
knew that means was to be used. So 2 Samuel 5:24. David had a promise of victory
over the Philistines; but yet so as that he must fetch a compass behind them; and
when he heard "the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberries," then he was to
bestir himself.
Into a harlot’s house.] Or, Hostess, as some render it; but such as stuck not
familiarly to entertain strangers. [Hebrews 11:31 James 2:25] Upon her conversion
she was advanced to become grandmother to Jesus Christ; who by his purity
washeth off all our spots; like as the sun washeth and wipeth away all the ill vapours
of the earth and air.
BE SO , ". And Joshua sent — Or, had sent, before the directions mentioned in
the preceding chapter (Joshua 2:10-11,) were given to the officers. This best agrees
with Joshua 2:22 of this chapter, and the rest of the narrative. Two men — ot
twelve, as Moses did, because those were to view the whole land, these but a small
parcel of it. To spy — That is, to learn the state of the land and people. It is evident
Joshua did not this out of distrust; it is probable he had God’s command and
direction in it, for the encouragement of himself and his army. Secretly — With
reference not to his enemies, that being the practice of all spies, but to the Israelites;
a good caution to prevent the inconvenience which possibly might have arisen if
their report had been discouraging. Jericho — That is, the land about Jericho,
together with the city. Hebrew, the land and Jericho; that is, especially Jericho. A
harlot’s house — Although the Hebrew word ‫,זונה‬ zonah, here rendered harlot, does
also sometimes signify an innkeeper, or one who sells provisions; yet, as the former
is certainly the common meaning of the term, and the sense in which it must
frequently be necessarily taken, (see Genesis 34:31 ; 11:1; Hosea 1:2,) and as Rahab
is called a harlot by two apostles, (Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25,) who use an
expression of no such equivocal meaning, it seems evident she had once been a
harlot, though undoubtedly was now reformed. They lodged there — Or, lay down,
as the same word is rendered Joshua 2:8, composed themselves to rest, but they
were hindered from that intention.
ISBET, "A OTABLE WOMA
‘An harlot … named Rahab.’
Joshua 2:1
We are to travel back into that remote past in order to study a woman who holds a
unique place in Bible history, one whose story is a romance, and whose character is
an enigma. The facts are sufficiently distinct to make a complete narrative, but we
may be pardoned if we admit a certain element of conjecture to fill in an occasional
gap; and it is almost inevitable that a modern writer should draw certain inferences
which a Biblical writer never thought of expressing. The Fathers treated these
characters and stories as types of the Gospel; we are tempted to treat them as
examples—singularly typical examples—of human character.

11. I. If we assume that the Psalmist (Psalms 87) meant by Rahab the same woman
whom the Epistle to the Hebrews celebrates in its roll of the martyrs of faith, how
appropriate and beautiful it would be! Here is the first convert to the congregation
of the Lord from the licentious heathen world. Here is a brand plucked from the
burning indeed. Here is the first suggestion of our Lord’s eternal truth that the
publicans and harlots may enter the kingdom of heaven. She, if ever man or woman
was, has been born in the mystical Zion. She is the pivot on which the Canaan of
unnameable abominations, the Canaan exposed to the curse, and blotted from the
face of the earth, becomes the Canaan of the promise, the land of the world’s desire,
the symbol of the heavens.
With our eyes fixed on Rahab the harlot, hope springs in our hearts for all the lost
and outcast world. Surely nowhere has God left Himself without a witness. The
heathen may be turned unto Him, for even in such polluted hearts the cry after Him
is not silenced, the possibility of faith and love is not quenched. And with this
notable example of a woman rescued from shame to become the noble mother of the
world’s salvation, we have an impressive command of God to revise our hasty and
pharisaical judgments about the forlorn sisterhood of fallen women.
II. We cannot, of course, argue from the tone of the Old Testament in touching upon
what we call the ‘social evil,’ to any Divine condonation of it; for moral ideas are the
growth of the ages and of broadening revelation. The profession of Rahab is
mentioned without comment of praise or blame. It is assumed as part of the
constitution of society, but not condemned. There is no hint of surprise in the
ancient author that such a woman should be susceptible of religious aspirations, the
one potential follower of Jehovah in the corrupted land. While polygamy was
recognised even for patriarchs and chosen kings, while men like Judah—a very
noble type of man—could commit what the ew Testament denounces as a sin
without a twinge of conscience, and while the right of a woman to her own soul was
not yet admitted, it was inevitable that men should treat lightly the sin which, in the
light of Christ, we have learnt to regard with repugnance. But it is that very light of
Christ itself which shows that the form which our repugnance takes is unjust,
selfish, and uncharitable. o one is so severe as He upon impurity. It is He who has
taught us to aim at purity of thought and intention, and to regard impurity in the
heart as equivalent to impurity in act. It is His Spirit that fills us all with a holy
horror of the unclean books and papers, the alluring sights and suggestions, the
inward passions and desires which are the first movements towards the vice which
we call in a special sense immorality. It is fallen man that is severe on fallen woman.
It is unfallen man that is stern to fallen man. Christ in His utter purity allowed the
harlots to approach Him, and to love Him. And the seven devils went out of them at
His touch, and they were pure as in the days of their childhood. And if we read the
story of Rahab with the eyes of Christ we may possibly arrive at a somewhat
startling conclusion. For almost every fallen woman some man is to blame; for the
perpetuation of her fall and the trampling in the mire men are always to blame.
Illustrations

12. (1) ‘Rahab had no scruple in telling a lie. Probably there are even Christian women
who would tell such a lie to save those whom they loved. We cannot therefore pause
to censure this untruth in a Canaanitish woman of the thirteenth century b.c.; and
we may lay aside at once the charge of treason against her country and her town,
not only on the ground that such a woman is a kind of outcast from her own society,
but also because she was supernaturally convinced that the doom of her country was
sealed, and her only hope lay in the direction of saving her own beloved family. She
unblushingly assured the officers that the two men who lay concealed on her house-
roof had gone out just before the city-gate was closed, and could be overtaken by a
rapid pursuit.’
(2) ‘It might be asked, was not Rahab a very sinful woman? Yes. Did she not lie to
the king of Jericho? Yes. How then could such a one be saved? She was saved by
faith, not by her own righteousness. God saved her, not because she was good, but
that she might become so. It is not to be supposed from Hebrews 11:31 and James
2:25 that God commended Rahab’s falsehood any more than he commends her
other sins. These passages point out her real living faith, which was manifested by
her works which followed. In the same way the thief on the cross was saved by faith,
and not by works; and he abundantly proved the reality of his faith by his works
which followed—namely, confession of his own guilt, public confession of faith in
Christ’s power to save, his fear of God, rebuking sin, etc., all seen in his few words
as he hung on the cross.’
WHEDO , "1. Sent out — Some render had sent, as in the margin, and suppose
that the spies had been sent out some days before the events of the last chapter. But
the vav consecutive with which this verse begins ( ‫וישׁלח‬ ) is properly rendered Then
sent Joshua, etc., and a pluperfect rendering will not materially relieve the difficulty
stated in Joshua 1:11. “Even if the spies had been despatched before the events
narrated in Joshua 1:10-18, it would not be grammatically correct to render ‫וישׁלח‬ as
a pluperfect; and much less is this allowable if such a supposition be unfounded.” —
Keil.]
Shittim — The plain of acacia shrubs at the foot of the mountains on the eastern
side of the Jordan, directly opposite Jericho, in which Moses had last pitched the
Israelitish camp. umbers 25:1; umbers 33:49.
Secretly — The Masoretic conjunctive accent connects this word with saying, rather
than with to spy, as is done in the English version; but the word is best understood
as qualifying Joshua’s whole procedure. He communicated his orders to the two
men, and also sent them out secretly in order to avoid betrayal by any evil-minded
person in his own camp. All spying necessarily involves secrecy, and in this case the
perilous business was a military necessity. An unexplored land was before them, and
the number and spirit of the enemy, and his military preparations and plans, were
utterly unknown to Joshua. Faith always uses means.
Even Jericho — The command may be better rendered. Go view the land, and

13. particularly Jericho. This ancient town, (called also the “City of Palm Trees,”) was
situated in a plain of the same name about six miles west of the Jordan, near where
it enters into the Dead Sea, and about nineteen miles northeast of Jerusalem. It was
a walled city, rich and populous, having commerce with Babylon and the far East.
According to Stanley it was the only important town in the Jordan valley, and its
situation must always have rendered its occupation necessary to any invader from
the east. “It was the key of western Palestine, as standing at the entrance of the two
main passes into the central mountains. From the issues of the torrent Kelt, on the
south, to the copious spring, afterwards called the ‘Fountain of Elisha,’ on the
north, the ancient city ran along the base of the mountains, and thus commanded
the oasis of the desert valley, the garden of verdure, which clustering around these
waters has, through the various stages of its long existence, secured its prosperity
and grandeur.” The modern village Rihah is, by some travellers, identified with
ancient Jericho, and is described by Dr. Olin as one of the meanest and foulest of
Palestine, containing about forty houses, with a sickly, indolent, and vicious
population.
Came into a harlot’s house — [Literally, into the house of a woman, a harlot. Their
entrance into such a house would excite less suspicion, and, her house being upon
the wall, (Joshua 2:15,) their escape from the city in case of necessity would be more
easy. Knobel supposes that, as it was evening twilight when the spies reached
Jericho, the time when harlots were wont to walk the streets, (Job 24:15; Proverbs
7:9; Isaiah xxiii, 16,) they met with Rahab at some corner and followed her to her
house.] Josephus and other Jewish writers, and also some Christian commentators,
unwilling to believe that these spies, intrusted with such a responsible mission,
would have gone to a harlot’s house, or that Rahab, who married Salmon and
became an ancestress of our Lord, and is commended by an apostle, could have been
a woman of ill-fame, maintain that she was not a harlot, but a hostess or inn-keeper.
But the Hebrew word ‫זונה‬ means always, elsewhere, a harlot, and is so rendered in
the Septuagint and Vulgate. Also in the ew Testament she is called emphatically
the harlot, η πορνη, (Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25.) And not only on philological
grounds is the rendering hostess untenable, but oriental customs are against such an
interpretation. In the east there are no proper inns, but as a kind of substitute there
are khans or caravansaries (See note and cut at Luke 2:7.) It would have been a
thing without parallel in that land for a single woman, or even a man, to be found
keeping a public house. Rahab was probably unmarried; for though she had father
and mother, brothers and sisters, (Joshua 2:13,) there is no hint that she had
husband or child, and it is notorious that in the east rarely any but disreputable
women remain single. On her falsehoods and her faith, see note on Joshua 2:5,
Lodged there —Rather, they lay down there. Joshua 2:8 shows that they ascended
the house top to pass the night there.
COKE, "Ver. 1. And Joshua—sent—two men to spy, &c.— Or had sent, as the
Margin of our Bibles more properly renders it. Joshua had certainly sent the spies
to Jericho before he issued in the camp the order mentioned ver. 10, 11 of the
former chapter. This supposition removes every difficulty that can arise in this

14. history with respect to the order of time, and clears up the 22nd verse of the present
chapter. Moses had succeeded so indifferently in sending spies before to discover the
land of Canaan, that it is surprising, at first view, that Joshua should venture to
recur to this method. But, not to mention that he might be determined to it of his
own mind, or perhaps by the express commands of God, without any solicitation on
the part of the people, it appears, that he sent these two spies secretly, and that to
him only they reported the success of their commission. As an able general,
prudence required that Joshua should gain a knowledge of the place which he
purposed to attack: his confidence in the divine promises did not exclude a diligent
and judicious employment of such second causes as might favour the success of his
enterprize. We would, therefore, translate the beginning of the verse in this manner:
And Joshua, the son of un, had secretly sent out of Shittim two men to espy, and
had said, &c. See Houbigant. By the land which Joshua orders them to go and view,
we are not to understand the whole land of Canaan, but the environs of Jericho: the
city, its avenues, its situation, its fortifications, the troops defending it; in a word,
every obstacle that he would have to surmount in order to make himself master of it.
The city of Jericho, situated in a wide plain according to Josephus, was but about
seven miles and a half distant from Jordan. Maundrel says, that he came from
Jericho to the banks of Jordan in two hours; which answers pretty nearly to the
former calculation.
And they went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab— The doubtfulness
of the term used by the sacred writer, to signify Rahab's mode of life, has divided
interpreters. It may equally signify a hostess, and a prostitute. Onkelos takes it in
the former sense, making Rahab to be the keeper of a public house, who received,
victualled, and lodged strangers. Josephus, and several rabbis, are of the same
opinion, which has also its partizans among Christians. St. Chrysostom, in his
second sermon upon Repentance, twice calls this woman a hostess. It does not
appear by the text, say some, that she followed any other trade; and it is
improbable, that Salmon, who was one of the chief heads of the house of Judah, and
was one of the ancestors of the Messiah, would have married her had she been a
prostitute. And yet it must be owned, the greatest probabilities, in this particular,
are against Rahab. The Hebrew word zonah constantly implies a prostitute. Thus
the LXX understood it, and two apostles have approved of their version; see
Hebrews 11:31. James 2:25 which they would not have done, considering her as a
woman whose memory they ought to hold venerable, had they not been constrained
by the laws of truth. Besides, it is observable, that, in this relation, Rahab says not a
word of her husband or children, when she begs the life of her kinsfolks; which,
considering the trade she carried on, must naturally render her suspected. We may
add with Serrarius, that, perhaps, Rahab was one of those young women, who, in a
religious view, devoted herself to impurity in the idol temples. The same critic
supposes the moon to have been the tutelary deity of Jericho. See Calmet, and
Leviticus 21:7.
And lodged there— Supposing Rahab to have actually lived in an irreproachable
manner, it is nothing surprising to see the spies sent by Joshua on this discovery
come by night to lodge at her inn. Whatever were her modes of life, her house was

15. the most favourable place for the execution of their design. And it is sufficiently
evident, from reading the sequel of this history, that God himself conducted them
thither by a special direction of his providence.
COFFMA , "Verse 1
This chapter details the sending of the spies to reconnoiter the city of Jericho.
Holmes' opinion that this chapter is "from a different source"[1] and that it does
not really belong in this book at all is based upon the failure to observe its vital
connection with the whole narrative. In Joshua 1 and Joshua 2 are given the
preparations Joshua made for the invasion of Canaan. Keil summarized these as
follows:
"(1) Instructions were issued to the people to prepare.
(2) A renewal of the pledge of the trans-Jordanic group to aid the struggle was
required by Joshua.
(3) Spies were sent out to reconnoiter the land."[2]
The first two of these fundamental preparations were given in Joshua 1, and here
we have the third, namely, that of the sending out of the spies. One may only pity
the willful BLI D ESS that is evidenced by anyone's missing such an obvious and
necessary connection.
As to why Joshua sent out spies, it would appear to have been only what any
competent general would have done. Joshua, at this point did not know HOW God
would deliver Jericho without any kind of a military assault, and, besides that, there
was a Divine precedent in Moses' sending out the spies some forty years earlier,
Joshua himself having been a part of that mission ( umbers 13). In the light of all
the facts, we should have been greatly surprised if Joshua had OT sent out spies!
The whole chapter is devoted to the narration of this third preparatory step by
Joshua antecedent to the invasion.
THE SPIES GO TO THE HOUSE OF RAHAB
"And Joshua the son of un sent out of Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying,
Go view the land, and Jericho. And they went and came into the house of a harlot
whose name was Rahab, and lay there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying,
Behold, there came men in thither tonight of the children of Israel to search out the
land. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, bring forth the men that are
come to thee, that are entered into thy house; for they are come to search out all the
land. And the woman took the two men, and hid them; and said, Yes, the men came
unto me, but I knew not whence they were: and it came to pass about the time of the
shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; whither the men went
I know not: pursue after them quickly; for ye will overtake them. But she had
brought them up to the roof, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid

16. in order upon the roof. And the men pursued after them the way to the Jordan unto
the fords: and as soon as they that pursued after them were gone out, they shut the
gate."
"Joshua ... sent out of Shittim ..." This place was five or six miles east of Jordan,
just as Jericho was about the same distance west of Jordan. "Shittim means Acacias,
and they are still found in that area."[3]
"Two men as spies secretly ..." The critics insult this passage as being
"redundant,"[4] That type of cavil is based on the proposition that the word "spies"
automatically means "secretly," such a cliche being itself untrue. When Joshua
himself went out as a spy forty years earlier, all Israel knew of the sending out of
those spies and of their disastrous report (by the majority) that resulted in the
cursing of Israel for the space of forty years. Thus, the word "secretly" in this place
means that Joshua concealed their mission from everyone, even in Israel, except
from himself. This clearly was done to avoid the mistake that followed the earlier
example of sending out spies. Keil and many other able scholars have accurately
discerned this. "This was done so that, if the report proved unfavorable, the people
might not be thrown into despair as they had been in the times of Moses."[5]
"The house of a harlot whose name was Rahab ..." Adam Clarke and others have
insisted that "harlot" here actually means "innkeeper," and that there is no reason
to question the character of this woman.[6] It is true that many harlots ran inns,
casting some doubt upon what, exactly, may be meant here, but we believe that
Matthew's mention of only four women in the ancestry of Jesus - the four being:
Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba - is powerful evidence that Rahab was a
common harlot. There is no other consideration that would entitle her to a place in
this list. Also, the particular words used with reference to Rahab, both in the O.T.
([~zownah]) and in the .T. ([@porne]) "definitely class her as a common harlot,
not as a [~qedeshah] (temple or cult-priestess)."[7] Then, there is the almost
invariable custom of the times in that part of the world, that, "Inns, in the ordinary
sense, were never kept by women."[8]
Such a fact as this truth about Rahab always embarrasses "nice people," who in all
too many cases are too conceited and self-righteous ever to be saved. In all ages, it
has been the worst of sinners, in many cases, who most readily turned to God for
salvation. Christ himself stated that, "The publicans and the harlots go into the
kingdom of God" (Matthew 21:31) before the Pharisees! This pattern distinguished
the early church also, which counted among its members those who once had been
the very worst of sinners, including, thieves, drunkards, idolaters, adulterers,
homosexuals, revilers, extortioners and covetous persons (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
Therefore, we favor understanding Rahab as a prostitute in the ordinary sense of
the word. Our word "pornographic" comes from the Greek word applied to her in
the .T. How, then, should we account for the declaration that, "She was an
innkeeper"?[9] We believe that men have always been reluctant to admit either
their own sins, or the former sins of the saved, whether in their own case, or in that

17. of others. Similar efforts have been applied to the story of Mary Magdalene. Christ
came to save sinners, and it does the Lord no honor to cover up the sins of the
people whom he redeemed. It is the same foolish effort that marks the words of
apologists who deny that Rahab's lie was sinful. Holwerda, for example, in a
passage quoted by Woudstra, argued that, "Truth can mean something different
than agreement with fact! It means loyalty toward the neighbor and toward the
Lord!"[10] This is certainly a sinful and unlawful "crutch" to support a lie.
The story of Rahab has always intrigued the Christians of every age. Charles H.
Spurgeon delivered one of his most memorable sermons on "Rahab." (For a sermon
outline based partially upon Spurgeon's great masterpiece, see Vol. 10 of my .T.
commentary series (Hebrews, under Hebrews 11:31).)
Although Plummer freely admitted the immorality of Rahab, he nevertheless tried
to justify the entry of the spies into Rahab's house, saying, "It does not appear that
the spies entered Rahab's house with any evil intent!"[11] We are not at all
convinced by such an opinion. The basic truth is that, as soon as these men hit town,
they made a bee-line to the most popular whorehouse (known to the king) in town
not to do anything wrong? We pray that Plummer was right! In favor of that view is
the observation made by Philbeck that, such a place, "Was the least likely to arouse
suspicion."[12]
"And Jericho ..." "At least three cities of this name have been identified in this
location: (1) the Jericho of the .T.; (2) the Jericho of the O.T.; and (3) the Jericho
of Roman times."[13] Two of these existed simultaneously in days of our Lord's
ministry, the same being the explanation of why one of the synoptics described a
certain miracle of Jesus as taking place "as he was leaving Jericho," and another
said the same miracle took place "as he was entering Jericho." Both Jericho's were
mentioned by Taylor: "A town grew up near the ancient site (razed by Joshua) ...
There were two adjacent cities by that name, so the miracle was wrought at a place
between the two."[14]
The location of the Jericho that fell to Joshua is not definitely known. Woudstra
says, "The question of identification must be left open. There are still many
unexplored tells in the area."[15]
"And it was told the king of Jericho ..." At that time, and until about the 9th
century, kings, even of extensive areas were called after the name of their capital. In
Jonah, for example, the king of Assyria is referred to as "the king of ineveh." Such
designations are a mark of very great antiquity, and such signs compel us to look at
the age of Moses and Joshua as the period when all of these first O.T. books were
written. Palestine at the time of the conquest by Israel had about thirty-two such
kinglets over that many little kingdoms.
It is significant that the king's representatives were very easily deceived by Rahab,
indicating that the king himself considered her to be dependable.

18. Most of the recent versions supply in this chapter at appropriate places the
pluperfect tenses which are missing in the Hebrew (due to the deficiency of that
language in those days) translating Joshua 2:6, for example, thus: "The woman had
brought them up on the roof, etc." This necessity is well understood by translators.
Holmes professed ignorance of this, however, and stated that, "Joshua 2:15-17
should be omitted. We can hardly think of the conversation being continued
between Rahab at the window and the spies on the ground outside the wall!"[16]
The use of the pluperfect in such verses clears up everything.
The general morality of people throughout the world at the times in focus here was
very imperfect, even on the part of the Israelites. Rahab, like the Israelites, is
commended in the Word of God, "not for her immorality (adultery and falsehood),
but for her FAITH,"[17] and especially for her works in moving to support God's
people. See Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25.
"The stalks of flax ..." (Joshua 2:6) reveal several things: (1) The time of the year
was about March or April, that being the time when the flax was ready to harvest.
[18] (2) It also meant that the Jordan was flooding (Joshua 3:15), as it always did at
harvest time. (3) Likewise, there is a glimpse here of Rahab's cultivation and
processing of flax, indicating that that industry was at least one source of the
woman's livelihood. The flax industry dates from "the earliest times in
Palestine."[19]
CO STABLE, "Verse 1
The two men sent out as spies were young (cf. Joshua 6:23). Joshua sent them out
secretly (cf. Joshua 7:2). He did not want a recurrence of the Kadesh Barnea
rebellion ( umbers 13-14).
"He had learned by experience that spy reports should be brought to the leaders
only, for the people did not have sufficient orientation or experience to properly
evaluate such a report." [ ote: Davis and Whitcomb, p33.]
Their mission was to explore the area Israel would enter, especially Jericho. Jericho
is possibly the lowest city on earth, lying about750 feet below sea level. [ ote: See
The ew Bible Dictionary, 1962ed, s.v. "Jericho," by Kenneth A. Kitchen.] Their
object was to determine when and how to attack, not whether to attack.
"Sending out men for reconnaissance was a widespread phenomenon in the east.
Moreover, a prostitute"s or innkeeper"s house was the accustomed place for
meeting with spies, conspirators, and the like. Thus, for example, we read in
Hammurabi"s Code: "If scoundrels plot together [in conspiratorial relationships] in
an innkeeper"s house, and she does not seize them and bring them to the palace,
that innkeeper shall be put to death" (law 109). In a Mari letter we read about two
men who sow fear and panic and cause rebellion in an army. Also, the pattern of a
three-day stay in an area when pursuing escapees has support in ancient eastern
sources; for example the instructions to the Hittite tower commanders specify that if
an enemy invades a place he must be pursued for three days. In the same collection

19. of instructions we find that it is forbidden to build an inn (arzana) in which
prostitutes live near the fortress wall, apparently because of the kind of danger
described in Joshua 2." [ ote: Moshe Weinfeld, The Promise of the Land: The
Inheritance of the Land of Canaan by the Israelites, pp141-43.]
Jericho was not a large city, but it had strong fortifications and a strategic location
on the eastern frontier of Canaan. It lay just a few miles west of the Jordan River in
the Jordan Valley. If the Israelites were to gain a foothold in Canaan, they would
have to defeat Jericho.
The spies probably stayed at Rahab"s house because they hoped to be less
conspicuous there than they would have been if they had lodged elsewhere. [ ote:
See Butler, pp31-32 , for a discussion of the many instances of irony in this chapter.]
Josephus called Rahab an innkeeper, which she may have been. [ ote: Josephus,
5:1:2 , 7. See also Hess, pp83-84; and M. A. Beek, "Rahab in the Light of Jewish
Exegesis," in Von Kanaan bis Kerala, pp37-44. Bush, pp31-32 , strongly rejected
this possibility.] The writer recorded Rahab"s name because she became an
important person in Israel"s history. She was an ancestor of David as well as
Israel"s helper on this occasion (cf. Matthew 1:5).
PULPIT, "RAHAB A D THE SPIES.—
Joshua 2:1
And Joshua the son of un sent. Rather, as margin, had sent (see note on Joshua
1:2). It might have been at the very time when the command was given to the
Israelites, for, according to a common Hebrew manner of speech (see, for instance, 1
Samuel 16:10), the three days (verse 22) may include the whole time spent by the
spies in their exploring expedition. Out of Shittim. Literally, from the valley of
acacias. It is so called in full in Joel 3:18. This place (called Abel-Shittim in umbers
33:49), in which the Israelites had sojourned for some time (see umbers 25:1; cf.
umbers 25:10. umbers 12:1), seems to have been in the plains ( ‫ֹת‬ ‫ב‬ ְ‫ַר‬‫ע‬ see note on
Joshua 4:13) of Moab, by Jordan, opposite Jericho" ( umbers 33:48, umbers
33:49, umbers 33:50; umbers 36:13; cf. Deuteronomy 1:5). It was "the long belt
of acacia groves which mark with a line of verdure the upper terraces of the
valley.". The word Abel, or meadow, signifying the long grass with its juicy
moisture, points to it as a refreshing place of sojourn and pasture for flocks, after
the weary wandering in the wilderness. The acacia, not the spina AEgyptiaca of the
ancients, the mimosa ilotica of Linnaeus, but the acacia Seyal, a tree with a golden
tuft of blossom, which is still to be found on the spot, very hard dark wood, of which
much use was made in the tabernacle and its fittings (see Exodus 25:1-40; Exodus
26:1-37; Exodus 36:1-38; Exodus 37:1-29; etc). The name Abel was a common one in
Palestine, and is the same as Abila, from whence comes Abilene (Luke 3:1). We may
add that it has nowhere been said that they were at Shittim. We find this out from
umber 25:1. This undesigned coincidence is beyond the power of an inventor, and
far beyond the power of a compiler who was not only untrustworthy, but so clumsy
that he made the most extraordinary blunders in the management of his matter (see

20. note on next verse, and also on Joshua 1:11). Two men. Young men, as we are told
in Joshua 6:23, and therefore active, fleet of foot as well as brave and prudent. All
these qualities, as the subsequent narrative shows, were urgently required. "Joshua
himself was full of God's Spirit, and had the oracle of God ready for his direction.
Yet now he goes, not to the Propitiatorie for consultation, but to the spyes. Except
where ordinarie meanes faile us, it is no use appealing to the immediate helpe of
God; we may not seek to the posterne, but where the common gate is shut. It was
promised Joshua that bee should leade Israel into the promised land, yet hee knew it
was unsafe to presume. The condition of his provident care was included in that
assurance of successe. Heaven is promised to us, but not to our carelessnesse,
infidelitie, disobedience" (Bishop Hall). Secretly. Literally, dumbness or craftiness
(the noun being used adverbially), implying the silence and skill required for the
task. He who knows how to he silent possesses one at least of the elements of success.
The necessity of silence and secrecy may be inferred from Joshua 6:1. Keil, however,
following the Masoretic punctuation, regards" secretly" as referring to the
Israelites, and the spies as sent unknown to the army, that no depressing report
might damp their courage. Jericho. "The city of fragrance" (from ‫ַח‬‫ו‬ ָ‫ר‬ to breathe,
and in the Hiphil, to smell a sweet odour), so called from its situation in the midst of
palm trees, from which it was called "the city of palm trees ‫יּם‬ ִ‫ָר‬‫מ‬ְ‫ַתּ‬‫ה‬ ‫ִיר‬‫ע‬ in
Deuteronomy 34:3, 2 Chronicles 28:15; cf. 1:16. The vast palm grove, of which relics
are even now occasionally washed up from the Red Sea, preserved by the salt in its
acrid waters, has now disappeared. We read of it as still existing in the twelfth
century, and indeed traces of it were to be seen as late as 1838. A dirty and poverty-
stricken village called Riha, or Eriha, is all that now marks the site of all these
glories of nature and art, and the most careful researches have until lately failed to
discover any remains of the ancient city. It is doubtful whether the ruins observed
by Tristram are not the ruins of soma later city, built in the neighbourhood.
Bartlett, p. 452, believes Riha to be the site of the later Jericho of our Lord's day,
but Tristram would, with less probability, identify Riha with Gilgal. They both,
however, place the site of ancient Jericho about a mile and a half from Riha. Conder
thinks its true position is at the fountain Ain-es-Sultan. Lenormant, in his 'Manual
of Oriental History,' remarks on the skill of Joshua as a military tactician. Whether
he followed the advice of his experienced leader, or whether we are to attribute his
success to special guidance from above, he certainly displayed the qualities of a
consummate general. "Jericho," says Dean Stanley, "stands at the entrance of the
main passes from the valley of the Jordan into the interior of Palestine, the one
branching off to the southwest towards Olivet, the other to the northwest towards
Michmash, which commands the approach to Ai and Bethel. It was thus the key of
Palestine to any invader from this quarter." He illustrates by Chiavenna (or the key
city, from its situation), in Italy. Lenormant remarks that from an ordinary
historical point of view the strategy of Joshua is worth notice. It was the practice
ever followed by apoleon, and, he adds, by elson also, to divide his enemies, and
crush them in detail. Had Joshua advanced upon Palestine from the south, each
success, as it alarmed, would have also united the various communities of the land,
under their separate kings, by the sense of a common danger. Thus each onward
step would have increased his difficulties, and exposed him, exhausted by continued
efforts, to the assaults of fresh and also more numerous enemies, in a country which

21. grew ever more easy to defend and more perilous to attack. But by crossing the
Jordan and marching at once upon Jericho, he was enabled, after the capture of
that city, to fall with his whole force first upon the cities of the south, and then on
those of the north. The political condition of Palestine at that time (see Introduction)
did not permit of a resistance by the whole force of the country under a single
leader. A hasty confederation of the kings of the south, after the treaty with Gibeon,
was overthrown by the rapid advance of Joshua and the battle of Beth-boron. By
this success he was free to march with his whole army northward, against the
confederation of tribes under the leadership of the king of Hazor, whom he
overcame in the decisive battle of Merom. There is no hint given in the Scripture
that in this strategy Joshua acted under the special guidance of the Most High. The
probability is, that in this, as in all other of God's purposes effected through the
agency of man, there is a mixture of the Divine and human elements, and that man's
individuality is selected and guided as an instrument of God's purpose, which, in
this instance, was the chastisement of the Canaanitish people, and the gift of the
Holy Land as a possession to the descendants of Abraham. That Joshua was not
indifferent to human means is shown by this very verse. Into a harlots house. Many
commentators have striven to show that this word simply means an innkeeper, an
office which, as Dr. Adam Clarke proves at length, was often filled by a woman. It
has been derived from ‫זוּן‬ to nourish, a root also found in the Syriac. The Chaldee
paraphast and many Jewish and Christian interpreters have adopted this
interpretation, in order, as Rosenmuller remarks, "to absolve her from whom
Christ had His origin from the crime of prostitution." But St. Matthew seems to
imply the very opposite. The genealogy there contained mentions, as though of set
purpose, all the blots on the lineage of Christ as was fitting in setting forth the origin
of Him who came to forgive sin. Only three women are there mentioned: Tamar,
who was guilty of incest; Rahab, the harlot; and Ruth, the Moabitess. And the LXX.
render by πόρνη. Calvin calls the interpretation "innkeeper" a "presumptuous
wresting of Scripture." Hengstenberg also rejects the interpretation "innkeeper,"
and maintains the right of the spies, who, he says, were no doubt chosen by Joshua
for their good character, to enter a wicked woman's house for a good purpose. It
does not appear that the spies entered the house of Rahab with any evil intent, but
simply because to enter the house of a woman of that kind—and women of that kind
must have been very numerous in the licentious Phoenician cities—would have
attracted far less attention than if they had entered any other. Even there it did not
escape the notice of the king, who had been thoroughly alarmed (verse 3) by the
successes of Israel eastward of Jordan. Origen, in his third homily on Joshua,
remarks that, "As the first Jesus sent his spies before him and they were received
into the harlot's house, so the second Jesus sent His forerunners, whom the
publicans and harlots gladly received." amed Rahab. Origen (Hom. 3) sees in this
name, which signifies room (see Rehoboth, Genesis 26:22), the type of the Church of
Christ which extends throughout the world, and receives sinners. And lodged there.
Literally, and lay there, perhaps with the idea of lying hid, for they did not (verse
15) spend the night there.
PULPIT, "Joshua 2:1-12

22. Rahab and the spies.
Three points demand our attention in this narrative. First, the conduct of Joshua;
secondly, of the spies; and thirdly, of Rahab.
I. JOSHUA'S CO DUCT. Here we may observe that—
1. He does not despise the use of means. He was under God's special protection. God
had promised (Joshua 1:5) that he would not fail him nor forsake him." He had seen
miracles wrought in abundance, and was destined to receive other proofs of God's
extraordinary presence with him. Yet he does not rely on these, where his own
prudence and diligence are sufficient. We must learn a similar lesson for
ourselves—
(a) in our external undertakings,
(b) in our internal warfare.
In both "God helps those that help themselves." We must "work out our own
salvation," because it is "God that worketh in us," by ordinary as well as by
extraordinary means. To pray to God for special help or direction, without doing
our best to use the means placed within our reach, to exercise our reason, and to see
His directing hand in the external circumstances of our lives, is mere fatalism. To
expect to be freed from besetting sins, to triumph over temptations without effort on
our own part, to have victory without struggle, perfection without perseverance, is
mere selfishness and indolence.
2. The use of ordinary means, where possible, is a law of God's kingdom. God might
have written His gospel in the skies. He might have proclaimed and might
reproclaim it in voices of thunder from heaven. He might make it an irresistible
influence from within. But He does not. He uses human means. Jesus Christ, like
His prototype, sent His disciples two and two to go before Him. (Mark 6:7; it is
implied in Matthew 10:1; Luke 10:1). Human influence has ever since been the
means of propagating Divine truth. And not only so, but to use extraordinary means
when ordinary would suffice was a suggestion of the devil, peremptorily rejected
twice by Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:4, Matthew 4:7; Luke 4:4, Luke 4:12); and this,
because this world is God's world as well as the other: reason and prudence, though
subordinate in importance, yet are as much God's gifts as faith.
II. THE CO DUCT OF THE SPIES.
1. They preferred duty to reputation. The only house they could enter without
suspicion was a house whither, under ordinary circumstances, it would have been
impossible for them to go. So Christ's disciples must not fear the comments of the
evil-minded when duty calls upon them to incur suspicion. To give needless cause
for slander is a sin: to shrink from seeking the lost for fear of it is a greater.
Compare Boaz (Ruth 3:14) with the spies here, and both with Jesus Christ (Luke

23. 7:37, Luke 7:38). Ministers of religion, physicians, and the purest-minded Christian
women do not fear to visit the lowest haunts of vice for the temporal or spiritual
welfare of those who inhabit them. It is well that their garb should proclaim the fact
that they are on an errand of mercy. All needful precautions should be taken to
preserve their reputation. But often they will have to put reputation and all in God's
hands, when duty calls, and they may be sure that all is safe with Him.
2. They went unmurmuring on a task of the utmost peril. So must God's messengers
now take their lives in their hands when they visit the sick, either to serve their
bodies or their souls. The missionary confronts a similar risk when he carries to
savage nations the good tidings of salvation by Christ. If He preserve them alive,
they thank Him for His goodness; if not, the blood of such martyrs is still the seed of
the Church. Men do and dare all for the sake of the temporal reward of the Victoria
Cross. The messengers of Jesus Christ ought not to be less willing to risk all that is
worth having in this life for the Eternal Crown. How rare is this spiritual gallantry,
as we may call it! Yet it is rare only because genuine faith is rare. We believe in
rewards that we can see. The unfading crown excites few longings, because it is of
faith, not sight.
3. They did not recklessly expose themselves to danger. When Rahab bid them
conceal themselves, they did so. They willingly accepted her aid in letting them
down from the wall, and her advice in concealing themselves in the caves of the
mountains. In so doing they did but anticipate the command, "When they persecute
you in one city, flee ye into another" (Matthew 10:23). Thus St. Peter concealed his
residence from the disciples (Acts 12:17); St. Paul was let down in a basket from the
wails of Damascus (Acts 9:25; 2 Corinthians 11:33); St. Cyprian retired from his see
for awhile that he might still continue to guide it while his guidance was needed. So
now, to expose one's life unnecessarily is suicide, not sanctity.
III. RAHAB'S CO DUCT.
1. Her faith. This is commended in Hebrews 11:31. It was manifested by her
conduct, as St. James tells us in Joshua 2:1-24 :25. For
(a) she incurred danger by acting as she did. This was a proof of the sincerity of her
profession. For no one willingly incurs danger for what he does not believe. And
(b) the reason for her acting as she did was faith in God. It might not have been a
strong faith. It was certainly a faith which had not had many advantages. She could
have known little about Jehovah; but she recognised His hand in the drying up of
the Red Sea and the discomfiture of Sihon and Og. Then
(c) the seems to have lived up to her light. To be a harlot was no very grievous
offence in the eyes of a people who regarded that profession as consecrated to the
service of the gods, as was the case in Babylonia, Syria, Cyprus, Corinth, and a host
of other places. Yet she was not idle, as the stalks of flax imply, and perhaps, in spite
of her impure life, the guilt of which she had no means of realising, she might have

24. been one of those (Proverbs 31:18) who "seeketh wool and flax, and worketh
willingly with her hands." And so she was permitted to "feel after God and find
him" as other sinners have been, through His merits who cried, "Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do."
2. Her unselfishness. She receives the men, knowing the danger she was in. She risks
her life rather than give them up. She takes every care for their safety by her
prudence and the excellent advice she gives them. As the next section shows, she had
a regard, not merely for her own safety, but for that of her kindred. And this is a
proof that she had striven to a degree after better things. For it is well known that
nothing more deadens men and women to the gentler impulses of our nature,
nothing has a greater tendency to produce cruelty and callousness to suffering, than
the systematic indulgence of sensual passion.
3. Her falsehood. As the notes have shown, this was of course a sin, but in her case a
venial one. Even Christian divines have held it to be a debatable question whether
what Calvin calls a mendacium officiosum, a falsehood in the (supposed) way of
duty, were permissible or not. And though this casuistry is chiefly that of Roman
Catholic divines, yet Protestants have doubted whether a lie might not lawfully be
told with the intent of saving life. In Rahab's time the question had never arisen.
Heathen and even Jewish morality had hardly arrived at the notion that the truth
must in all cases be spoken. Sisera requested Jael, as a matter of course, to do what
Rahab did. Jonathan deceives his father to save David's life, and he is not blamed
for doing so (1 Samuel 20:28, 1 Samuel 20:29). David deceives Ahimelech the priest
(1 Samuel 21:2). Even Elisha appears not to have adhered to strict truth in 2 Kings
6:19, and Gehazi is not punished so much for his lie as for his accepting a gift which
his master had declined. Jeremiah, again, tells without hesitation the untruth
Zedekiah asks him to tell (Jeremiah 38:24 27). How, then, should Rahab have
known that it was wrong of her to deceive the messengers of the king, in order to
save the spies alive?
4. Her treachery to her own people. This, under ordinary circumstances, would also
have been a sin. But here the motive justifies the act. It was not the result of a mere
slavish fear of Israelite success. It was due to the fact that she recognised the
Israelites as being under the protection of the true God, who would punish the
idolatry and impurity of the Canaanites. Resistance, she knew, was vain. Jehovah
had given them the land. There could be no harm in delivering her own life, and and
the life of those dear to her, from the general slaughter. Besides, neither as a
probable consequence nor in actual fact did the escape of the spies, through Rahab,
affect the fate of Jericho. ot as a thing probable from her action, for the report of
the spies, though it might supply Joshua with valuable information, could not bring
about the fall of Jericho. Her conduct was not like that of Ephialtes at Thermopylae,
or of Tarpeia at Rome. or did the report of the spies actually bring about the fall
of Jericho, for it was effected by supernatural means. In conclusion, it may be
remarked that Rahab was in a sense the "first fruits of the Gentiles." She was
justified by faith, not by works, in the sense in which St. Paul uses the words. That is
to say, her former life had not entitled her to the favour of God, though her work in

25. saving the spies was effectual as an evidence of her faith. She was forgiven, saved,
numbered among faithful Israel, and became a "mother in Israel." And as a
"woman that was a sinner," she was a type of those whom Jesus Christ came to
save, who, "dead in trespasses and sins, were quickened" by the grace and mercy of
the true Joshua, our Lord Jesus Christ.
EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE COMME TARY, "THE SPIES I JERICHO.
Joshua 2:1-24.
IT was not long ere Joshua found an occasion not only for the exercise of that
courage to which he had been so emphatically called both by God and the people,
but for calling on others to practise the same manly virtue. For the duty which he
laid on the two spies - detectives we should now call them - to enter Jericho and
bring a report of its condition, was perhaps the most perilous to which it was
possible for men to be called. It was like sending them into a den of lions, and
expecting them to return safe and sound. Evidently he was happy in finding two
men ready for the duty and the risk. Young men they are called further on (Joshua
6:23), and it is quite likely that they were leading men in their tribes. o doubt they
might disguise themselves, they might divest themselves of anything in dress that
was characteristically Hebrew, they might put on the clothes of neighbouring
peasants, and carry a basket of produce for sale in the city; and as for language,
they might be able to use the Canaanite dialect and imitate the Canaanite accent.
But if they did try any such disguise, they must have known that it would be of
doubtful efficacy; the officials of Jericho could not fail to be keenly on the watch,
and no disguise could hide the Hebrew features, or divest them wholly of the air of
foreigners. evertheless the two men had courage for the risky enterprise. Doubtless
it was the courage that sprang from faith; it was in God's service they went, and
God's protection would not fail them. To be able to find agents so willing and so
suitable was a proof to Joshua that God had already begun to fulfil His promises.
Joshua had been a spy himself, and it was natural enough that he should think of
the same mode of reconnoitering the country, now that they were again on the eve of
making the entrance into it which they should have made nearly forty years before.
There is no reason to think that in taking this step Joshua acted presumptuously,
proceeding on his own counsel when he should have sought counsel of God. For
Joshua might rightly infer that he ought to take this course inasmuch as it had been
followed before with God's approval in the case of the twelve. Its purpose was
twofold - to obtain information and confirmation. Information as to the actual
condition and spirit of the Canaanites, as to the view they took of the approaching
invasion of the Israelites, and the impression that had been made on them by all the
remarkable things that had happened in the desert; and confirmation, - new proof
for his own people that God was with them, fresh encouragement to go up bravely to
the attack, and fresh assurance that not one word would ever fail them of all the
things which the Lord had promised.

26. We follow the two men as they leave Shittim, so named from the masses of bright
acacia which shed their glory over the plain; then cross the river at "the fords,"
which, flooded though they were, were still practicable for swimmers; enter the
gates of Jericho, and move along the streets. In such a city as Jericho, and among
such an immoral people as the Canaanites, it was not strange that they should fall in
with a woman of Rahab's occupation, and should receive an invitation to her house.
Some commentators have tried to make out that she was not so bad as she is
represented, but only an innkeeper; but the meaning of the word both here and as
translated in Hebrews 11:1-40 and James 2:1-26 is beyond contradiction. Others
have supposed that she was one of the harlot-priestesses of Ashtoreth, but in that
case she would have had her dwelling in the precincts of a temple, not in an out-of-
the-way place on the walls of the city. We are to remember that in the degraded
condition of public opinion in Canaan, as indeed much later in the case of the
Hetairai of Athens, her occupation was not regarded as disgraceful, neither did it
banish her from her family, nor break up the bonds of interest and affection
between them, as it must do in every moral community.* It was not accompanied
with that self-contempt and self-loathing which in other circumstances are its fruits.
We may quite easily understand how the spies might enter her house simply for the
purpose of getting the information they desired, as modern detectives when tracking
out crime so often find it necessary to win the confidence and worm out the secrets
of members of the same wretched class. But the emissaries of Joshua were in too
serious peril, in too devout a mood, and in too high-strung a state of nerve to be at
the mercy of any Delilah that might wish to lure them to careless pleasure. Their
faith, their honour, their patriotism, and their regard to their leader Joshua, all
demanded the extremest circumspection and self-control; they were, like Peter,
walking on the sea; unless they kept their eye on their Divine protector, their
courage and presence of mind would fail them, they would be at the mercy of their
foes.
*It is somewhat remarkable that the present village of Riha, at or near the site of the
ancient Jericho, is noted for its licentiousness. The men, it is said, wink at the
infidelity of the women, a trait of character singularly at variance with the customs
of the Bedouin. "At our encampment over Ain Terabeh (says Robinson) the night
before we reached this place, we overheard our Arabs asking the Khatib for a paper
or written charm to protect them from the women of Jericho; and from their
conversation it seemed that illicit intercourse between the latter and strangers that
come here is regarded as a matter of course. Strange that the inhabitants of the
valley should have retained this character from the earliest ages; and that the sins of
Sodom and Gomorrah should still flourish upon the same accursed soil."-"
Researches in Palestine," i, 553.
Whether disguised or not, the two men had evidently been noticed and suspected
when they entered the city, which they seem to have done in the dusk of evening.
But, happily for them, the streets of Jericho were not patrolled by policemen ready
to pounce on suspicious persons, and run them in for judicial examination. The king
or burgomaster of the place seems to have been the only person with whom it lay to

27. deal with them. Whoever had detected them, after following them to Rahab's house,
had then to resort to the king's residence and give their information to him. Rahab
had an inkling of what was likely to follow, and being determined to save the men,
she hid them on the roof of the house, and covered them with stalks of flax, stored
there for domestic use. When, after some interval, the king's messengers came,
commanding her to bring them forth since they were Israelites come to search the
city, she was ready with her plausible tale. Two men had indeed come to her, but she
could not tell who they were, it was no business of hers to be inquisitive about them;
the men had left just before the gates were shut, and doubtless, if they were alert
and pursued after them, they would overtake them, for they could not be far off.
The king's messengers had not half the wit of the woman; they took her at her word,
made no search of her house, but set out on the wild-goose chase on which she had
sent them. Sense and spirit failed them alike.
We are not prepared for the remarkable development of her faith that followed.
This first Canaanite across the Jordan with whom the Israelites met was no
ordinary person. Rays of Divine light had entered that unhallowed soul, not to be
driven back, not to be hidden under a bushel, but to be welcomed, and ultimately
improved and followed. Our minds are carried forward to what was so impressive
in the days of our Lord, when the publicans and the harlots entered into the
kingdom before the scribes and the pharisees. We are called to admire the riches of
the grace of God, who does not scorn the moral leper, but many a time lays His hand
upon him, and says ''I will, be thou clean." "They shall come from the east, and
from the west, and from the north, and from the south, and shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but the children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer
darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
In the first place, Rahab made a most explicit confession of her faith, not only in
Jehovah as the God of the Hebrews, but in Him as the one only God of heaven and
earth. It would have been nothing had she been willing to give to the Hebrew God a
place, a high place, or even the highest place among the gods. Her faith went much
further. "The Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and in earth beneath."
This is an exclusive faith - Baal and Ashtoreth are nowhere. What a remarkable
conviction to take hold of such a mind! All the traditions of her youth, all the
opinions of her neighbours, all the terrors of her priests set at nought, swept clean
off the board, in face of the overwhelming evidence of the sole Godhead of Jehovah!
Again, she explained the reason for this faith. ''We have heard how the Lord dried
up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did
unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and
Og, whom ye utterly destroyed." The woman has had an eye to see and an ear to
hear. She has not gazed in stupid amazement on the marvellous tokens of Divine
power displayed before the world, nor accepted the sophistry of sceptics referring
all these marvels to accidental thunderstorms and earthquakes and high winds. She
knew better than to suppose that a nation of slaves by their own resources could
have eluded all the might of Pharaoh, subsisted for forty years in the wilderness,

28. and annihilated the forces of such renowned potentates as Sihon and Og. She was no
philosopher, and could not have reasoned on the doctrine of causation, but her
common sense taught her that you cannot have extraordinary effects without
corresponding causes. It is one of the great weaknesses of modern unbelief that with
all its pretensions to philosophy, it is constantly accepting effects without an
adequate cause. Jesus Christ, though He revolutionized the world, though He
founded an empire to which that of the Caesars is not for a moment to be compared,
though all that were about Him admitted His supernatural power and person, after
all, was nothing but a man. The gospel that has brought peace and joy to so many
weary hearts, that has transformed the slaves of sin into children of heaven, that has
turned cannibals into saints, and fashioned so many an angelic character out of the
rude blocks of humanity, is but a cunningly devised fable. What contempt for such
sophistries, such vain explanations of facts patent to all would this poor woman have
shown! How does she rebuke the many that keep pottering in poor natural
explanations of plain supernatural facts, instead of manfully admitting that it is the
Arm of God that has been revealed, and the Voice of God that has spoken!
Further, Rahab informed the spies that when they heard these things the
inhabitants of the land had become faint, their hearts melted, and there remained
no more courage in them because of the Israelites. For they felt that the tremendous
Power that had desolated Egypt and dried up the sea, that had crushed Sihon King
of the Amorites and Og King of Bashan like nuts under the feet of a giant, was now
close upon themselves. What could they do to arrest the march of such a power, and
avert the ruin which it was sure to inflict? They had neither resource nor refuge -
their hearts melted in them. It is when Divine Power draws near to men, or when
men draw near to Divine Power that they get the right measure of its dimensions
and the right sense of their own impotence. Caligula could scoff at the gods at a
distance, but in any calamity no man was more prostrate with terror. It is easy for
the atheist or the agnostic to assume a bold front when God is far off, but woe betide
him when He draws near in war, in pestilence, or in death!
If we ask, How could Rahab have such a faith and yet be a harlot? or how could she
have such faith in God and yet utter that tissue of falsehoods about the spies with
which she deluded the messengers of the king? we answer that light comes but
gradually and slowly to persons like Rahab. The conscience is but gradually
enlightened. How many men have been slaveholders after they were Christians!
Worse than that, did not the godly John ewton, one of the two authors of the
Olney hymns, continue for some time in the slave trade, conveying cargoes of his
fellow creatures stolen from their homes, before he awoke to a sense of its infamy?
Are there no persons among us calling themselves Christians engaged in traffic that
brings awful destruction to the bodies and souls of their fellow-men? That Rahab
should have continued as she was after she threw in her lot with God's people is
inconceivable; but there can be no doubt how she was living when she first comes
into Bible history. And as to her falsehoods, though some have excused lying when
practised in order to save life, we do not vindicate her on that ground. All falsehood,
especially what is spoken to those who have a right to trust us, must be offensive to
the God of truth, and the nearer men get to the Divine image, through the growing

29. closeness of their Divine fellowship, the more do they recoil from it. Rahab was yet
in the outermost circle of the Church, just touching the boundary; the nearer she
got to the centre the more would she recoil alike from the foulness and the falseness
of her early years.
We have to notice further in Rahab a determination to throw in her lot with the
people of God. In spirit she had ceased to be a Canaanite and become an Israelite.
She showed this by taking the side of the spies against the king, and exposing herself
to certain and awful punishment if it had been found out that they were in her
house. And her confidential conversation with them before she sent them away, her
cordial recognition of their God, her expression of assurance that the land would be
theirs, and her request for the protection of herself and her relations when the
Israelites should become masters of Jericho, all indicated one who desired to
renounce the fellowship of her own people and cast in her lot with the children of
God. That she was wholly blameless in the way in which she went about this, in
favouring the spies against her own nation in this underhand way, we will not
affirm; but one cannot look for a high sense of honour in such a woman. Still,
whatever may be said against her, the fact of her remarkable faith remains
conspicuous and beyond dispute, all the more striking, too, that she is the last
person in whom we should have expected to find anything of the kind. That faith
beyond doubt was destined to expand and fructify in her heart, giving birth to
virtues and graces that made her after life a great contrast to what it had been. o
doubt the words of the Apostle might afterwards have been applied to her - "Such
were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of the Lord."
And yet, though her faith may at this time have been but as a grain of mustard seed,
we see two effects of it that are not to be despised. One was her protection of the
Lord's people, as represented by the spies; the other was her concern for her own
relations. Father, mother, brothers, and sisters and all that they had, were dear to
her, and she took measures for their safety when the destruction of Jericho should
come. She exacted an oath of the two spies, and asked a pledge of them, that they
would all be spared when the crisis of the city arrived. And the men passed their
oath and arranged for the protection of the family. o doubt it may be said that it
was only their temporal welfare about which she expressed concern, and for which
she made provision. But what more could she have been expected to do at that
moment? What more could the two spies have engaged to secure? It was plain
enough that if they were ever to obtain further benefit from fellowship with God's
people, their lives must be preserved in the first instance from the universal
destruction which was impending. Her anxiety for her family, like her anxiety for
herself, may even then have begun to extend beyond things seen and temporal, and a
fair vision of peace and joy may have begun to flit across her fancy at the thought of
the vile and degrading idolatry of the Canaanites being displaced in them by the
service of a God of holiness and of love. But neither was she far enough advanced to
be able as yet to give expression to this hope, nor were the spies the persons to whom
it would naturally have been communicated. The usual order in the Christian life is,
that as anxiety about ourselves begins in a sense of personal danger and a desire for

30. deliverance therefrom, so spiritual anxiety about the objects of our affection has
usually the same beginning. But as it would be a miserable thing for the new life to
stand still as soon as our personal safety was secured, so it would be a wretched
affection that sought nothing more on behalf of our dearest friends. When, by
accepting Christ, we get the blessing of personal safety, we only reach a height from
which we see how many other things we need. We become ashamed of our unholy
passions, our selfish hearts, our godless ways, and we aspire, with an ardour which
the world cannot understand, to purity and unselfishness and consecration to God.
For our friends we desire the same; we feel for them as for ourselves, that the
bondage and pollution of sin are degrading, and that there can be neither peace, nor
happiness, nor real dignity for the soul until it is created anew after the image of
God.
Some commentators have laid considerable stress on the line of scarlet thread that
was to be displayed in the window by which the spies had been let down, as a token
and remembrance that that house was to be spared when the victorious army should
enter Jericho. In that scarlet thread they have seen an emblem of atonement, an
emblem of the blood of Christ by which sinners are redeemed. To us it seems more
likely that, in fixing on this as the pledge of safety, the spies had in view the blood
sprinkled on the lintels and door posts of the Hebrew houses in Egypt by which the
destroying angel was guided to pass them by. The scarlet rope had some
resemblance to blood, and for this reason its special purpose might be more readily
apprehended. Obviously the spies had no time to go into elaborate explanations at
the moment. It is to be observed that, as the window looked to the outside of the city,
the cord would be observed by the Israelites and the house recognised as they
marched round and round, according to the instructions of Joshua. ot a man of all
the host but would see it again and again, as they performed their singular march,
and would mark the position of the house so carefully that its inmates, gathered
together like the family of oah in the ark, would be preserved in perfect safety.
The stratagem of Rahab, and the mode of flight which she recommended to the
spies, fruits of woman's ready wit and intuitive judgment, were both successful. She
reminds us of the self-possession of Jael, or of Abigail, the wife of abal. In the
dark, the spies escaped to the mountain, - the rugged rampart which bounded the
valley of the Jordan on the west. Hiding in its sequestered crevices for three days,
till the pursuit of the Jerichonians was over, they stole out under cover of darkness,
recrossed the Jordan, told Joshua of their stirring and strange adventure, and
wound up with the remark that the hearts of the people of the country were melting
because of them. How often is this true, though unbelief cannot see it! When Jesus
told His disciples that He beheld Satan fall as lightning from heaven, He taught us
that those who set themselves against Him and His cause are fallen powers, no
longer flushed with victory and hope, but defeated and dejected, and consciously
unable to overcome the heaven-aided forces that are against them. Well for all
Christian philanthropists and missionaries of the Cross, and brave assailants of lust
and greed and vice and error, to bear this in mind! The cause of darkness never can
triumph in the end, it has no power to rally and rush against the truth; if only the
servants of Christ would be strong and of a good courage, they too would find that

31. the boldest champions of the world do faint because of them.
When the spies return to Joshua and tell him all that has befallen them, he accepts
their adventure as a token for good. They have not given him any hint how Jericho
is to be taken; but, what is better, they have shown him that the outstretched arm of
God has been seen by the heathen, and that the inhabitants of the country are
paralysed on account of it. The two spies were a great contrast to the ten that
accompanied Joshua and Caleb so long before: the ten declared the land
unassailable; the two looked on it as already conquered - ''The Lord hath delivered
into our hands all the land." Children of Israel, you must not be outdone in faith by
a harlot; believe that God is with you, go up, and possess the land!
BI 1-24, "Joshua . . . sent out . . . two men to spy.
The spies despatched
I. The position in which joshua and the Israelites were placed. It was a difficult task that
had been performed by Moses; did not a harder remain? It was something to lead such a
host through the wilderness. Surely more is required now the armour is to be put on,
active service entered, and they brought face to face with their foes. But was not Joshua
specially called to the onerous duty? Certainly he was! We have been called to a work
individually, collectively. God has promised success in it; the work is that of
dispossessing before possessing. We are to enjoy the companionship of God in it. Still,
like Joshua, we have to depend on that word of promise. The comparison is in our
favour. We have the example of all the generations from Joshua till the present. These
have been strengthened by the life of Christ. In Him we have a volume of testimony
confirmatory of our highest hopes.
II. That all these promises do not preclude the use of proper means. What are the
feelings of a child when receiving a promise from an earthly parent? Does not the
promise heighten affection, induce carefulness, and prompt to obedience? Who ever
knew a child made neglectful by a well-timed promise? Is not man the same in all his
relations—is he not still a man, though dealing with God? What are the effects of His
promises—do they not in every way stimulate to increased affection and zeal? To expect
without working is to tempt God—to work without expecting is to dishonour Him. In all
that has been and is now doing in the world for God, we find the principle of co-
operation prevailing. God works out His purposes by human instrumentalities—men,
organised into Churches, in their collective or individual capacity, work, and God crowns
with success. Man without God can do nothing. God without man does nothing, and
although we have the assurance that through our instrumentality the fortresses of sin
shall be vanquished, and the flag of our Master float upon the ramparts, we are bound
care fully to consider our steps, and to use all our God-given powers to accomplish the
object. We have our Jericho in the world. Adult world—juvenile world—spy the land, call
into action all your powers; God will surely give you the land to possess.
III. The willingness on the part of the men to undertake the difficult work. They respond
at once to the call of their leader, and trusting in God are honoured with success. With
this spirit thoroughly in our Churches, what a large amount of work we should do. We
seem to think the time for special workings and special deliverances has past. Nay, this is
the time; that army on the east of Jordan is but a picture of ourselves. The work is before
us. There runs a river between us and our work; yes, and we thank God for it. If we
could, we would not on any account remove it. It is the right order of things. He that

32. would do any work must cross it, and we may take it for granted the width, depth, and
swiftness of the stream will be proportioned to the value of the work. Earnest Workers
will cross it, manfully trusting in God, and these are the only successful workers. (J. H.
Snell.)
Beginning at the right point
From military wisdom we may learn the moral wisdom of always striking first at the
right point. Every thing turns upon the first stroke in many a controversy and in many
an arduous battle. Why do men come home at eventide saying the day has been wasted?
Because their very first step in the morning was in the wrong direction, or the very first
word they spoke was the word they ought not to have uttered. With all thy getting, get
understanding of how to begin life, where to strike first, what to do and when to do it,
and exactly how much of it to do within given time. If you strike the wrong place you will
waste your strength, and the walls of the city will remain unshaken. A blow delivered at
the right place and at the right time will have tenfold effect over blows that are struck in
the dark and at random: however energetic they may be, and however well delivered,
they fall upon the wrong place, and the result is nothing. That is what is meant by wasted
lives. Men have been industrious, painstaking, even anxious in thoughtfulness, and the
night has been encroached upon so that the time of rest might be turned into a time of
labour; yet all has come to nothing: no city has been taken, no position has been
established, no progress has been made. Why? Simply because they did not begin at the
right point. (J. Parker, D. D.)
Rahab.
An unexpected ally of the Lord’s host; or, Rahab and her faith
Imaginative writers have pictured Rahab as attired in gaudy costume, going about the
city with her harp (Isa_23:16), and at this very time in pursuit of her evil trade. Others,
following Josephus, have adopted so charitable an estimate of her profession as to
suppose her to have been simply a tavern-keeper. May we not, perhaps, take a middle
line, and venture to believe that one who had become a believer in the God of Israel had
also, ere this, repented of and forsaken the infamous life which her title imports. She
appears from the narrative to be supporting herself by her own industry, in the
preparation and dyeing of flax. One thing is certain, and that is that pure and saving
faith cannot exist with foul and deadly sins. In reference to Rahab’s faith, observe—
I. The wonder of its existence. Here dwells an unfortunate woman. She has had no
spiritual advantages.—no Sabbaths, no Scriptures, no teachers—and yet in the base
purlieus of a Jericho, in the heart of that poor harlot, like a fair pearl that lies within a
rough shell among the weeds and rocks at the sea bottom, there is found precious faith,
faith that finds utterance in a good confession (Jos_2:11). Here is encouragement for
those who are called, in the providence of God, to minister where worldliness and
frivolity, and pride and bitter opposition to the truth prevail, Here, too, is
encouragement for those who minister in uncouth regions, where sin and ignorance
seem to shut out hope of blessing. Let missionaries and visitors in alleys and courts, in
attics and cellars, which seem like nests of blasphemy and impurity, take heart. The
unholy atmosphere of gin palaces, and even of houses like that in which Joshua’s spies
sought refuge, cannot exclude the Holy Ghost, or nullify the Gospel message.

33. II. Its practical operation. A poetic faith may lift its possessor to the heavens in
ecstacies. A talking faith may delight the hearers with glowing descriptions of supposed
experiences and imaginary prospects. But the faith that saves is known by its works.
Such a faith was Rahab’s. Her faith wrought with her works, and by works was her faith
made perfect.
III. Its saving tendency. The characteristic of true faith is ever to tend towards salvation.
Faith accepts the warnings of the Word of God as true, and leads men to flee from the
wrath to come. Now we shall find this to be a marked characteristic in the faith of Rahab.
It inclines her to seek salvation both for herself and for her kindred.
IV. Its rich reward. Vain are man’s promises of help except God approve the pledge. The
oath of the spies to deliver Rahab and her house had availed her nothing had not God
Himself, by a notable miracle, confirmed their word. Joshua held himself bound by the
covenant of his representatives; but what was more, the Lord accepted Rahab’s faith and
spared her house, or, when the walls of Jericho fell down, her house had fallen too, for it
abutted on the wall. But it fell not, but stood unscathed amid the overthrow, a
monument of Divine faithfulness and mercy. Nor will that faithfulness and mercy fail to
save any, even the most unworthy, who has entered into the covenant of grace. “Our life
for yours!” may every ambassador of the gospel say. If the conditions of salvation be
observed, thy house and thy hope shall stand, though a thousand shall fall at thy side,
and ten thousand at thy right hand. (G. W. Butler, M. A.)
A parenthesis of grace
Let us look at Rahab’s faith, and meditate on a few of its phases.
I. Consider the hindrances of her faith.
1. There were hindrances which arose from herself. She was the harlot Rahab. Her
character was exceptionally evil. She belonged to a class than whom there are none
more hardened, inaccessible, and hopeless. Moreover, she had found her calling
profitable, and therefore, naturally speaking, would be the more firmly wedded to
her evil ways. Moreover, Israel is coming to Jericho for the purpose of executing the
Divine vengeance on the very evils of which she is guilty. The cry of the Canaanites
has ascended to heaven; in long-suffering patience God has waited till now, but at
last He has sent forth His hosts to consume them utterly. How much, then, was
there, in herself, to keep Rahab from trust in Jehovah!
2. There were also hindrances to Rahab’s faith arising from her natural friends. The
example of all her neighbours would encourage her in a path of unbelief. Her faith
would make her an oddity in Jericho.
3. There were hindrances to her faith arising from her natural enemies. Israel, the
people of Jehovah, were arrayed against her and her people, and were even now
marching onward to their destruction. The mission of Israel is not one of mercy, but
of judgment. Their feet are not beautiful upon the mountains, bringing good tidings
of peace. They bring no gospel to the Canaanites, but war, disaster, and death are in
their invincible path. How black was the outlook for Rahab.
II. Consider the opportunity of her faith. Faith always finds, or rather God always gives
to faith, an opportunity for its manifestation. As in the day of Sodom’s doom, the Lord
delayed till righteous Lot had escaped to Zoar, saying, “I cannot do anything till thou be
come thither,” so now, if there is a single soul in Jericho groping after Him in the

34. darkness of vice and heathenism, He will delay the march of His destroying hosts, to give
that soul the opportunity which it requires and for which it longs. He can do nothing in
judgment till that one soul in the doomed city is brought into a place of safety. Thus this
pause in the Divine and just act of judgment, this parenthesis of grace, this long-
suffering of God, is salvation.
III. Consider the operation of her faith. Rahab showed her faith by her works. We
cannot, and do not, defend the deliberate falsehood by which she misled her fellow
citizens in search of the spies; but we must remember that her whole training from
childhood had been in lies, and that this was a sudden emergency. She was no well-
instructed saint, walking under the light of God’s countenance, but a great sinner
groping after Him. There is sufficient in her conduct to manifest a heart truly sincere
and anxiously solicitous for the welfare of God’s people, willing to risk her own life to
save theirs.
IV. Turn now to the confession of her faith. He that believes with the heart confesses
with the mouth. All the believing add to their faith virtue, boldness in confessing the
truth; all are witnesses. To the spies Rahab said, “I know that the Lord hath given you
the land,” &c. She does not say, “I think,” “I suppose,” “I fear,” but “I know.” She believes
as firmly in the promises of God as any in Israel. And as she believes in the promises of
God, so she believes in the God of the promises. How clear and unmistakable is her
confession of the name of Jehovah; how high, and exalted, and spiritual; how wonderful,
in the mouth of one trained from infancy to worship stocks and stones, trained to think
that the power of the different deities was local and circumscribed: “The Lord your God,
He is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath”!
V. Next let us ponder the trial of her faith. Faith is always tested, that it may be
manifested as Divine. Had Rahab sought to add anything to the instructions of the spies,
had she consulted her own ideas as to the best means of ensuring her safety, she would
have manifested her folly, and would have miserably failed. So trust in any other means
than those which God has provided, trust in anything but the blood of the Lamb, is a
manifestation of folly and a sure cause of failure.
VI. Consider also the solicitude of her faith. She was anxious not only about her own
safety, but about that of those who were dear to her. She was not selfishly absorbed in
looking after her own welfare, content if she herself escaped; but, with true affection,
arranged for the rescue of her relatives. The work of Rahab, in bringing in others, is
similar to that of every saved soul. After we ourselves are saved we are not to rest
content; we are not to sit down in idleness and ease because all is well with us for ever.
We are to bear on our hearts those who are still exposed to the Divine judgment; we are
to be up and doing, instant in season and out of season, if by any means we may save
some.
VII. Consider the reward of her faith. When the dread day of Jericho’s judgment came,
what a joy must it have been to Rahab to know that all dear to her were safe. But who
can tell the rapture of those who have saved a soul from eternal death, and covered a
multitude of sins? Surely such a glorious reward, such a monument of everlasting
renown, is worth labouring for, worth living for, worth dying for. Rut turning again to
the ease before us, why did the multitudes in Jericho thus perish without pity? Was it
because the cup of their iniquity was full? Yes, truly, for they had fearfully corrupted
their ways. But, while many sins characterised the Canaanites, the Holy Ghost selects
one sin as emphatically that which caused their destruction. Which sin? Unbelief. That
which distinguished Rahab from the rest was not superior morality, higher intelligence,
a more exemplary life, a better natural disposition, but faith in God. She believed; they

35. believed not. Because she believed, she was saved; because they believed not, they
perished. Even so, many sins may characterise you, and each one is like a millstone
round your neck, fitted to drag you down to endless destruction, but your great,
culminating, condemning sin is unbelief (Mar_16:16). But Rahab was not only rescued
from the judgment of Jericho, she was also received into the number of God’s people.
Even so the sinner who believes in Jesus is not only saved from wrath to come, but is
received into the Church, the house of the living God, there to be instructed more fully in
the ways of God; there to learn all the lessons that the grace of God can teach; to deny
ungodliness and worldly lust; to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present
world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ. (A. B. Mackay.)
Rahab’s reasoning
The woman had an eye to see and an ear to hear. She knew better than to suppose that a
nation of slaves by their own resources could have eluded all the might of Pharaoh,
subsisted for forty years in the wilderness, and annihilated the forces of such renowned
potentates as Sihon and Og. She was no philosopher, and could not have reasoned on
the doctrine of causation, but her common sense taught her that you cannot have
extraordinary effects without corresponding causes. It is one of the great weaknesses of
modern unbelief that with all its pretensions to philosophy it is constantly accepting
effects without an adequate cause. Jesus Christ, though He revolutionised the world,
though He founded an empire to which that of the Caesars is not for a moment to be
compared, though all that were about Him admitted His supernatural power and
person, after all was nothing but a man. The gospel that has brought peace and joy to so
many weary hearts, that has transformed the slaves of sin into children of heaven, that
has turned cannibals into saints, and fashioned so many an angelic character out of the
rude blocks of humanity, is but a cunningly devised fable. What contempt for such
sophistries, such vain explanations of facts patent to all, would this poor woman have
shown! How does she rebuke the many that keep pottering in poor natural explanations
of plain supernatural facts instead of manfully admitting that it is the arm of God that
has been revealed and the voice of God that has spoken. (W. G. Blaikie, D. D.)
Gradual enlightenment
If we ask, How could Rahab have such a faith and yet be a harlot? or How could she have
such faith in God and yet utter that tissue of falsehoods about the spies with which she
deluded the messengers of the king? we answer that light comes but gradually and
slowly to persons like Rahab. The conscience is but gradually enlightened. How many
men have been slaveholders after they were Christians! Worse than that, did not the
godly John Newton, one of the two authors of the Olney hymns, continue for some time
in the slave trade, conveying cargoes of his fellow-creatures stolen from their homes,
before he awoke to a sense of its infamy? Are there no persons among us calling
themselves Christians engaged in traffic that brings awful destruction to the bodies and
souls of their fellow-men? That Rahab should have continued as she was after she threw
in her lot with God’s people is inconceivable; but there can be no doubt how she was
living when she first comes into Bible history. And as to her falsehoods, though some
have excused lying when practised in order to save life, we do not vindicate her on that
ground. All falsehood, especially what is spoken to those who have a right to trust us,

36. must be offensive to the God of truth, and the nearer men get to the Divine image,
through the growing closeness of their Divine fellowship, the more do they recoil from it.
Rahab was yet in the outermost circle of the Church, just touching the boundary; the
nearer she got to the centre the more would she recoil alike from the foulness and the
falseness of her early years. And yet, though her faith may at this time have been but as a
grain of mustard seed, we see two effects of it that are not to be despised. One was her
protection of the Lord’s people, as represented by the spies; the other was her concern
for her own relations. (W. G. Blaikie, D. D.)
Rahab’s faith
Faith in the human heart is a Divine work and a Divine wonder. Jesus wondered when
He beheld the witness of it in the message of the centurion, and in the cry of the Syro-
Phoenician, and sometimes it occurs among circumstances so strange and unlikely as to
compel the wonder even of our hard hearts and dull minds. The faith of Rahab is of this
class—strange, unaccountable on merely natural grounds. That this plant of heavenly
renown should take root and spring up in such uncongenial soil is what we do not
naturally look for. Her faith reminds us of a tree we have seen in the Highlands of
Scotland. At the bottom of a wild glen stood a huge boulder, which towered high above
those which had toppled with it from the mountain side, and it had a strange crown. On
its summit, as if rising out of the rock, grew a young tree—green, vigorous, and healthy.
From its peculiar position, it attracted the notice of every passer-by; it was the only tree
for miles around, and there, in that wilderness, and on that rock, it grew, planted as it
were by the finger of God. Even so the faith of Rahab is a great wonder, a tree of
paradise, planted by the hand of God, in the midst of a wilderness of moral and spiritual
desolation.
A mixed character
They are mixed characters and mixed actions in the moral sense; and just as we may take
a conglomerate mineral and single out one ingredient for remark, so we may fix our
minds upon one aspect of a complex action, disregarding all other aspects for the time,
with admiration or condemnation. It is what we do continually. We speak highly of an
author’s genius—without approval of his principles; we praise the skill of some
diplomatist—whose policy we strongly condemn; we do not grudge our admiration to the
powers of Napoleon—though we may believe him to have been a monster of iniquity. In
a famous essay John Foster illustrates decision of character by a number of striking
instances. He refers to the untameable soul of Milton as portrayed in “Paradise Lost”; to
the sublime height to which Pompey was raised by his ambitious spirit; to the constancy
of purpose with which a Spaniard pursued and at last accomplished his revenge; to the
indefatigable industry with which a ruined spendthrift regained his fortune and died a
miser. But none is so foolish as to accuse the essayist of commending obstinacy,
ambition, revenge, or miserliness. Now, the same principle must be applied to an
interpretation of Scripture. The unjust steward, e.g., was a bad man: he was selfish,
unprincipled, a downright rogue. But withal he was prudent; he forecast the future; he
directed his energies towards providing for it; and he succeeded. In his prudence, then,
is he set forth as an example for us. (Sunday School Times.)
Our hearts did melt.—

37. The powers of evil in terror
I think that testimony stands yet. We, who are fighting Joshua’s battle to-day, should
take to heart this word that has leaked out from the headquarters of the devil’s army;
and the word is this, that with all the devil’s swagger, and bravado, and bluster, he is a
bigger coward than we are, and that is big enough. He is really not so bold as he is trying
to pretend. He knows that the doom is coming, and Rahab is the testifier; and she ought
to know: she has been near him and is intimate with the latest information on that side. I
say, I think that we should all take this. It stands here. This is a bit of the Word of God
that “liveth and abideth for ever.” And its great value to you and me who are fighting to-
day in the wars of the Lord under the heavenly Joshua is that, all appearances to the
contrary notwithstanding, the fear of us and the terror of us are working yonder before
we arrive. God is making a way for His conquering purpose before we thunder at the
enemy’s gate. Therefore let us nerve ourselves. Therefore let us be strong. Therefore do
not let us be daunted by the colossal and seemingly impregnable powers of evil. There is
a trembling and a quivering in the devil’s host. “Your terror is fallen upon us.” Who
would think it, to read the secular press? What nonsense clever men talk about religion,
as if it were a feeble kind of thing, such as they would call in Scotland “a fozy turnip”—a
half-rotten, effete, useless thing. “We are going to have reforms, and we are going to
make things a great deal better, but we will have no religion.” Did ever anybody hear
such addle-headed talking by clever men? No religion! Oh, indeed! You are going to bow
out Jesus Christ? You ought to have been born a long while before you were, if you are
going to do that. You have come into the world much too late to put it right without
Christ. He is here, and He means to be here, and I trust we are all with Him. Oh, what
encouragement there comes to us out of this! What encouragement—that the kingdom of
darkness in all its domain is tottering to its fall, and it knows it! Strange it is that we who
are serving under the heavenly Joshua, and have all these things to fortify us and to
infuse strength into us, are so nervous and womanish. Oh, to be strong in the Lord and
in the power of His might, and to be strengthened by what we read here as to the
condition of things in the enemy’s camp! They are just about to surrender if we would
put on a bold front. (John McNeill.)
The Lord your God, He is God.—
Our God, God over all
I. The lord your God. I am aware that “our Lord” and “our Saviour,” and so on, are
phrases that are frequently employed thoughtlessly, ignorantly, and profanely; but this
does not render their value less. Whatever faith is in exercise, so that the believer can
really claim his affinity, his relationship, it is most blessed so to do. Nay, more; there is
no solid happiness and permanent peace for any child of Adam until that child of Adam
can claim this relationship: “the Lord our God.” But oh! “wonder, ye heavens, and be
astonished, O earth,” at this amazing condescension: that the great Eternal—Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost—should give to His elect family each of the Persons, and all the
perfections and attributes of self-existent Deity, as the Church’s portion and inheritance.
II. He is God in heaven. AS for myself, the fact that Jehovah, the covenant God of Israel,
is “my God,” makes me look up to heaven and think of heaven with the utmost
confidence; aye, without a scruple; aye, upon scriptural assurance of calling it my home.
Now, mark two or three things arising out of this fact that “He is God in heaven above.”
All the records of heaven written and kept by Him; all the enjoyments of heaven
bestowed, communicated, imparted, in His presence; all the inhabitants of heaven His

38. own choice, His own redemption, His own workmanship. He is absolute Sovereign “in
heaven” of the fixed decrees of heaven; absolute Sovereign “in heaven” of all the glories
of heaven; and absolute Sovereign “in heaven” of all the inhabitants of heaven. Oh! what
security is here! “The Lord your God is God in heaven above.”
III. He is God in earth beneath. Here we have a solution of the mystery of His
providence. He is God in earth, as well as in heaven; tell Him all about it. Go with thy
sorrows, thy cares, thy domestic woes, thy bodily afflictions, thy circumstantial trials,
thy matters of business, thy little things as well as thy great things; for “He is God in
earth.” “The Lord your God is God in earth beneath.” Oh! I had saved myself a thousand
sorrows if I had always lived upon this principle. I had saved myself a thousand woes, if I
had lived as if there was “a God on earth.” (J. Irons.)
Bind this line of scarlet thread in the window.—
The scarlet line
In Scripture we find the blessing of God and the curse of God concentrated not only in
individual souls, but also in cities. Thus Jerusalem is constantly set forth in Scripture as
the city of blessing (Psa_48:1-3; Psa_50:2). On the other hand, Jericho is the city of the
curse (Jos_6:17). These two cities, then, are evidently representative cities. Jerusalem,
the city of blessing, represents the Church of God, destined to eternal life. Jericho, the
city of the curse, represents the world, alienated from God, and destined to destruction.
And then what will Rahab represent but those who are gathered out of the one into the
other, not on account of anything good in themselves, any natural excellencies or
attainments, but by the grace of God, and according to His good pleasure. And specially
does she, herself a Gentile, seem to represent those of the Gentiles who are brought to
God. Rahab’s faith showed itself in this, that she recognised God. She looked above
second causes. It was not Israel’s power and prowess, but God’s hand, which she saw
(Jos_2:9-11). All this throws much light on the nature of true faith. It shows us, first,
that living faith carries us straight to God. Our hearts are very prone to get entangled in
second causes—to look at the hand of man, and forget the hand of God. The language of
faith is, “It is the Lord.” It elevates the heart above second causes, and enables it to rest,
not, it may be, without many struggles, on the will an arm of God. Again, we see in this
history that faith is the principle of a new life. Rahab’s life had been an unhallowed one,
and she had sunk lower than many others in Jericho. But now through Divine grace she
rises higher than all (Heb_11:31). And faith is always the same; the same in its object,
which is God; the same in its principle, which is His grace; the same in its result, which
is holiness of life. Rahab believed in the approaching doom of Jericho; she felt that its
days were numbered. The true Christian now believes that a more awful and universal
judgment is coming upon the world, and he flees from the wrath to come—flees to the
only Refuge from the storm. But Rahab went further. She wished to have some
assurance that her life, and the life of her family, would be spared. It is not wonderful
that she should have desired this token; and we may well imagine what comfort she
must have felt when the scarlet line was floating in the air at her window. Very solemn
thoughts must often have weighed upon her heart—thoughts of the awful destruction
which awaited her fellow-townsmen; but she felt no anxiety about herself and family.
The scarlet line silenced every fear. And if it was natural in Rahab to desire a token of her
safety, is it not even more natural in the true Christian to desire it? And one there is
which is granted sooner or later to those who walk with God. It is not always given at
once; often it grows up by degrees. But yet, sooner or later, it is given. The blood of Jesus

39. secures pardon, and also produces assurance. But notice that there is a wide difference
between the two. Forgiveness is one thing; the knowledge of forgiveness is another.
Forgiveness of sin we must have, to be Christians. Assurance is a privilege which
Christians should seek, and seek until they find, and then watch, that they may retain it.
If, then, you would have the scarlet line floating at the window of your hearts, you must
trust simply in Christ. This of itself is enough to bring, and does often bring, assurance;
but if not, endeavour to walk with God. Be diligent in doing His will and work, and
perhaps God will meet you then, and will crown some act of faith and self-denial and
devoted service with a true token, a scarlet line of His assurance-love. Having proceeded
thus far with the history of Rahab, we must say a few words about its conclusion. What a
difference that little piece of scarlet line made! It was not a mere token arranged between
man and man; it was sanctioned in heaven. God’s eye as well as man’s was fixed upon
the scarlet line, and Rahab was protected. And if that scarlet line made so great a
difference in her case, and secured her protection, oh, how much more shall the blood of
Christ secure that of the true Christian I Is it sprinkled upon your heart? Does God’s eye
see it there? Then all your sins, however many, are forgiven; all your enemies, however
strong, will be overcome. But there is still one other point to be noticed in Rahab’s
history. You will find it stated in Jos_6:25, where it says, “She dwelleth in Israel unto
this day.” So that from that time forth, though she had been a sinner of the Gentiles, she
was put among God’s children, reckoned as one of His own Israel; and even, we learn
from Mat_1:5, so honoured of God as to be one of the line from whom Jesus was
descended. And do we not learn from this how completely the blood of Jesus cleanses
from all sin? how real a thing is the forgiveness of sins? how great and entire is the
change which the grace of God makes in the heart? (G. Wagner.)
Rahab saved
I. The sovereign mercy of God was magnified in the previous character and position of
the individual to whom it was vouchsafed.
II. The oneness, the primeval, constant, and continued identity of the way of salvation,
from the blood that flowed upon Abel’s altar, and I doubt not upon Adam’s also, to “the
blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” By that line—as with
Rahab, so with the Church—the messengers that brought it to her and taught it to her
had already escaped; it had borne their weight, proved its efficacy; and the Church
knows it to be strong enough still. She knows it to be the cable-line which rivets her to
the anchor of hope, “sure and steadfast, which entereth into that within the veil.” Ah!
who that has ever tried it, who that has ever “fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set
before him,” hath not found the promise fulfilled in his happy experience—“I will draw
them with the cords of love, with the bands of a man”! Blessed Jesus! Thou art this
“scarlet line,” dyed with the blood of propitiating mercy.
III. Another exemplary feature in the act of Rahab’s faith is its great simplicity. What
could be simpler than tying a scarlet line in a window? Had the gospel assumed a more
scientific and imposing form—had its principles been more elaborate and philosophical
had it required years of study to comprehend it, and thereby attached some literary
reputation to the ultimate adept in it—had it been like the rabinnical lore of the
Hebrews, or the mythological mysteries of the Greeks, beyond the reach of the vulgar,
and a consequent badge of distinction to the initiated—had its prophet required us to do
some great thing—were its peculiar privileges obtainable only by the pomp of a ritual,
the costliness of sacrifice, or the toil of pilgrimage—then the evangelical Sion had never

40. been destitute of its thousands of devotees and ten thousands of disciples; but when it
appears in the guise of a system of which a child can appreciate the beauty, and which
only requires the spirit of a child to learn and entertain it—when “the wayfaring man,” as
he runs upon his business may read it—when its elastic principles expand their
comprehensive arms to the embrace of all men, and like the outstretched arms of its
crucified Author upon the Cross seem to offer mercy on the right hand and on the left—
when its whole system is summed up in a single sentence, “Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, and thou shalt be saved”—then the world turns its back upon the Church, is
ashamed of the fellowship of children and vulgar and illiterate people, the simplicity of
the truth is mistaken for vulgarity, and the house of God is eschewed and avoided,
because, instead of the sumptuous drapery and tinselled garniture of the noble, the
poetical, the dramatic, the speculative, and the vain, its only ornament and ensign is the
Cross of Christ—its sole phylactery is “the scarlet line in the window.”
IV. Rahab’s act of faith extended a blessing, as every act of faith does, to the whole
family. She gathered her father and mother and brethren and all her kindred into her
house; and the emblem in the window spared them all. Yet I suppose it will scarcely be
contended that it was the bit of thread that saved them, rather than the covenant of
which that thread was the sign. But just as idle is the theory that the sacrament is
salvation, instead of the sign of the Saviour; as inaccurate is the impression that faith
itself saves, and not His blood and righteousness which faith appropriates. Why, there is
no more saving merit in faith than there is in works—not a jot. I am not saved because I
believe, but I am saved by Him in whom I believe. There is all the world’s difference
between those propositions. (J. B. Owen, M. A.).
PI K 1-24, "The Spies
In the second half of chapter 1, the Holy Spirit has recorded the response made by
Joshua unto the great commission he had received from the Lord: he complied
promptly, he conducted himself according to the Divine Rule, and he acted in faith.
The command he issued to his officers (v. 11) showed he had no doubt whatever that
the Jordan would be crossed, and his words to the two and a half tribes (v. 15)
evinced his full confidence in the Lord’s help for the whole campaign. Such
language had been both honoring to God and encouraging to His people. We have
already seen how the Lord rewarded His servant by constraining the two and a half
tribes to accept Joshua as their leader and yield full obedience unto his authority.
Those things are recorded for our instruction and encouragement: to show that
none are ever the losers by trusting in the Lord and rendering obedience to His
Word. In what is now to engage our attention we have a further proof of the Lord
showing Himself strong on behalf of the dutiful.
The land which Joshua was called upon to conquer was occupied by a fierce,
powerful and ungodly people. Humanly speaking, there was no reason to conclude
that the Canaanites would render assistance or do ought to make his task easier:
rather to the contrary, as the attitude and actions of the kings had shown ( um.
21:1, 23, 33). When he sent forth the two spies to obtain information about Jericho,
he could not naturally expect that any of its inhabitants would render them any help

41. in their difficult task. Yet that is exactly what happened, for those spies received
remarkable favor in the eyes of her in whose house they obtained lodgment. ot
only was she kindly disposed toward them, but she even hazarded her own life on
their behalf. What an illustration was this that "When a man’s ways please the
Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him" (Prov. 16:7)! Those two
men were in the path of duty, carrying out the orders of God’s servant, and He
undertook for them.
"And Joshua the son of un sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go
view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into a harlot’s house, named
Rahab, and lodged there" (Josh. 2:1). For some time past the children of Israel had
been encamped in the plains of Shittim, which bordered on the Jordan and lay
opposite Jericho ( um. 33:49). And now Joshua sent forth these two spies to obtain
information about this enemy stronghold which lay in their path of advance. In so
doing, Joshua has been severely criticized by some, who regarded him as here acting
according to a carnal policy, that was dictated by unbelief. They argue that he
should have trusted the Lord wholly, and that had he done so, he had relied upon
Him alone, instead of resorting to this device. We do not agree with these fault-
finders, for we consider their criticism is entirely unwarranted, arises from their
own confusion of mind, and is a most mischievous one.
In the first place, Joshua had a good precedent for acting as he did, for Moses had
sent forth spies to view Canaan on a former occasion ( um. 13) and Joshua had
been Divinely ordered to regulate his conduct by "this Book of the Law . . . to do
according to all that is written therein" (Josh. 1:7,8), and that was one of the things
recorded therein! But there are those who say that the suggestion to send forth those
first spies proceeded from the unbelief of those who proffered it, and that Moses
failed to detect their evil motive. That is indeed the view taken by most writers on
the subject but there is nothing whatever in the Word to support it. Moses declared
"the saying pleased me well" (Deut. 1:23), and he made no apology later for his
action. The exercise of unbelief appeared in the sequel it was the gloomy report of
ten of the spies which expressed unbelief, and the ready credence of that report by
the faithless congregation.
ot only is Scripture silent upon any unbelief prompting the sending forth of those
twelve spies, but umbers 13:1, 2 expressly informs us, "And the Lord spake unto
Moses saying, Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan"! or is
there the slightest indication that that was a concession on the Lord’s part, or His
giving up the people unto their hearts’ lusts. Joshua, then, had a good precedent,
and a written example to guide him in the sending forth of the two spies. Yet, even
had there been neither, so far from his action being reprehensible, it was the
exercise of wise prudence and the use of legitimate means. It was his duty to ‘look
before he leaped" to ascertain the lay-out of Jericho, to discover if there was a weak
spot in its defenses to learn the best point at which to attack, and make his plans

42. accordingly. In so doing, he was but discharging his responsibility.
There is much misunderstanding today about the scope of those words "Trust in the
Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Prov. 3:5),
and only too often fanaticism is confounded with faith. It needs to be clearly insisted
upon that the exercise of faith does not preclude the use of all legitimate means,
though we are not to rest in the means alone, but rather count upon God’s blessing
the same. To decline the locking of my doors and the fastening of my windows when
there is an epidemic of burglary in the neighborhood, or to retire for the night and
leave a roaring fire in the grate, under the pretext of counting upon God’s
protecting my property, is not trusting but tempting Him should any disagree with
that statement, let him carefully ponder Matthew 4:6, 7! Faith in God does not
preclude the discharge of my performance of duty, both in taking precautions
against danger or using proper means for success.
Joshua was no more actuated by unbelief in sending forth those spies than
Cromwell was when he bade his men "Trust in God, and keep your powder dry".
Faith does not release us from our natural obligations. As yet, Joshua knew not that
the Lord had purposed that Jericho would fall without Israel having to fight for it.
It was some time later when He revealed to His servant that this stronghold of the
Canaanites would be overthrown without Israel’s army making any direct assault
upon it. The secret will of God was in nowise the Rule for Joshua to order his
actions by he was to do according to all that was "written" in the Scriptures; and
thus it is for us our responsibility is measured by the Word, not by God’s decrees,
nor the inward promptings of His Spirit. As Israel’s leader, it was Joshua’s duty to
learn all he could about Jericho and its surroundings before he advanced upon it—
Luke 14:31 illustrates the principle for which we are here contending.
"And Joshua the son of un sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go
view the land, even Jericho. And they went. In view of his own earlier experience
( um. 13), there is good reason to believe that Joshua made a careful selection on
this occasion and chose men of faith, courage and prudence. We are therefore
justified in concluding that ere those spies set out on their dangerous venture, they
first sought unto the Lord, committed themselves and their cause into His hands,
and asked Him to graciously give them success in the same. If such were the case,
and it would be uncharitable to suppose otherwise, then they received fulfillment of
that promise "It shall come to pass that before they call I will answer, and while
they are yet speaking I will hear" (Isa. 65:24). Ere those two men set out on their
mission, the Lord had gone before them, preparing their way, by raising up a brave
and staunch friend in the person of her in whose house they took refuge. How often
has the writer—and probably the reader too—met with just such a blessed
experience!

43. "And they went and came into a harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there".
They were Divinely directed to that particular house, though it is not likely they
were personally conscious of the fact at the first. God’s providence acts silently and
secretly, by working in us "both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:13).
Those spies acted quite freely, by their own volition, yet their steps were "ordered
by the Lord" (Ps. 37:23). The house in which they sheltered was owned by a harlot,
named Rahab: not that she was still plying her evil trade, but that formerly she had
been a woman of ill fame, the stigma of which still clung to her. As Matthew Henry
pointed out, "Simon the leper (Matthew 26:5) though cleansed from his leprosy,
wore the reproach of it in his name as long as he lived: so ‘Rahab the harlot’, and
she is so called in the ew Testament, where both her faith and her good works are
praised"
"And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither
tonight of the children of Israel to search out the country" (v. 2). Since it must have
been known unto all in Jericho that the hosts of Israel had been encamped for some
months on the opposite side of the Jordan, a keen watch had doubtless been kept on
all their movements, and the entry of the two spies had therefore been observed.
Even when we have committed ourselves and our cause unto God, and are in the
path of duty, we have no right to expect that we shall be exempted from trials, and
that all will be smooth sailing. So long as Christians are left in a world which lieth in
the Wicked one (1 John 5:19), and is therefore hostile unto true godliness, they may
look for opposition. Why so? why does God permit such? that their graces may be
tested and developed, evidencing whether they be real or fancied; and if the former,
bringing forth fruit to the glory of their Author.
Had He so pleased, the Lord could have prevented the discovery of those spies in
Jericho. Had He not done so in the case of the twelve men sent forth by Moses?
From umbers 13 it appears that they made an extensive survey of Canaan, and
returned to report unto Israel without their enemies being aware of what had
occurred. But God does not act uniformly, varying His methods as seems best in His
sight. That not only exemplifies His own sovereignty, but keeps us in more complete
dependence upon Him, not knowing whether His interposition on our behalf will
come in one way or in another, from this direction or from that. o, even though
those two men were under His immediate guidance and protection, He permitted
their entry into Jericho to become known. or were they the losers by that: instead,
they were granted a manifestation of God’s power to deliver them from a horrible
death.
In more than one respect is it true that "the children of this world are in their
generation wiser than the children of light" (Luke 16:8): a case in point is here
before us. Does not the wise precaution taken by these Canaanites put most of us to
shame! Are not the wicked much keener in looking after their interests than the
righteous are? Are not unbelievers much more on the alert against what would be

44. disastrous to their prospects than the saints are? The Christian ought ever to be on
his guard, watching for the approach of any enemy. But is he? Alas, no; and that is
why Satan so often succeeds in gaining an advantage over him. It was while men
slept that Satan sowed his tares (Matthew 13:25), and it is when we become slack
and careless that the Devil trips us up. We must "watch" as well as "pray" if we
would not "enter into temptation" (Matthew 26:41). Let those who have access to
Bunyan’s works read his "Holy War".
There is yet another line of truth which is illustrated here, and which we do well to
heed. A careful and constant watch—by "night" as well as by day!—had evidently
been set, yet notwithstanding the same, the two spies succeeded in obtaining an
entrance into Jericho! "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen waketh but in
vain" (Ps. 127:1) was strikingly exemplified on this occasion. And what is the
spiritual application of that unto us?—this should ever be what exercises our hearts
as we read and ponder God’s Word. Is not the answer found in the verse just quoted
above: since watchfulness as well as prayer be necessary if we are to avoid
temptation, equally indispensable is prayerfulness as well as watchfulness. o
matter how alert and vigilant we be, unless God’s assistance be humbly, earnestly,
and trustfully sought, all our efforts will be in vain. "Commit thy way unto the
Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass"’ (Ps. 37:5).
Viewing this detail from a higher standpoint may. we not also see here a
demonstration, of that truth "There are many devices in a man’s heart, nevertheless
the counsel of the Lord that shall stand" (Prov. 19:21). It was so here: the king of
Jericho proposed, but God disposed. He determined to prevent any Israelite from
entering his city, but his well-laid plans came to naught. When the Lord sets before
us an open door, none can shut it. (Rev. 3:8), and He set before those two spies an
open door into Jericho, and it was utterly futile for any man to endeavor to keep
them out. Equally true is it that when the Lord "shutteth no man openeth" (Rev.
3:7), yet God Himself can do so: therefore it is the privilege and duty of His servant
never to accept defeat, but seek the prayers of God’s people that He would "open to
him a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ "‘(Col. 4:3).
"And the king of Jericho spake unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are
come to thee, which are entered into thine house; for they be come to search out all
the country" (v. 3). If the reader has not already formed the habit of so doing, let
him now begin to read such a passage as the one we are considering with the specific
object of trying to find something in each verse of practical importance to himself—
not that which is "deep" and intricate, but what lies on the surface and is obvious to
a thoughtful reader. Here we may learn an important and needful "lesson" from the
action of the king of Jericho. When he was informed that Israel’s spies were now in
the city, he did not treat the report with either contemptuous scorn or careless
unconcern, but believed the same and acted promptly upon it. Well for us if we heed
a timely warning and seek to nip a danger while it is still in the bud. If we do not

45. heed the first alarms of conscience, but instead, trifle with temptation, a fall is sure
to follow; and the allowance of one sin leads to the formation of an evil habit.
Changing our angle of meditation, let us contemplate the effect upon the two spies of
the demand made upon Rahab by the king’s officers. If she complied with their
peremptory order and delivered her guests into their hands, then—humanly
speaking—they could hope for no other treatment than what has always been meted
out unto captured spies. Imagine the state of their minds as they listened intently—
which doubtless they did—to that ominous command. Remember they were men of
like passions unto ourselves: would they not, then, be filled with perturbation and
consternation? Up to this point things had gone smoothly for them, but now all
seemed lost. Would they not ask themselves, Did we do the right thing after all in
taking shelter in this house? Ah, have we not too passed through some similar
experience? We entered upon what we believed was a certain course of duty,
committed the same unto God and sought His blessing. At first all went well, His
smile appeared to be upon us, and then a crisis occurred which seemed to spell sure
defeat. Faith must be tested, patience have her perfect work.
Rahab’s Defiance
"And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are
come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all
the country. And the woman took ("had taken") the two men and hid them, and
said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were. And it came to
pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark that the men went
out: whither the men went, I wot not; pursue after them quickly, for ye shall
overtake them" (Josh. 2:3-5). This passage has presented some formidable
difficulties to not a few of those who have carefully pondered it, and perhaps we can
best help our readers by seeking to answer the following questions. First, did Rahab
do right in defying the king’s authority and betraying her own country? Second, is
she to be exonerated in the untruths she here told? Third, if not, how is Hebrews
11:31 to be explained?
"Let every soul be subject unto the powers that be, for there is no power but of
God" (Rom. 13:1). God requires us to render submission to human government: to
be obedient to its laws, to pay the taxes it appoints, to cooperate in upholding its
authority. Christians especially should set an example as law-abiding citizens,
rendering to Caesar that which he has a right to demand from his subjects.
Jeremiah 29:7 makes it clear that it is the duty of God’s people to seek the good of
the country in which they reside—see the sermon by Andrew Fuller on "Christian
Patriotism" which appeared in these pages a year ago. There is but one
qualification, namely, when the powers that be require anything from me which is
obviously contrary to the revealed will of God, or prohibit my doing what His Word

46. enjoins: where such a case arises, my duty is to render allegiance unto God and not
unto any subordinate authority which repudiates His requirements.
The refusal of the three Hebrew captives to worship ebuchadnezzar’s image and
Daniel’s defiance of the decree of Darius which forbade him praying unto God, are
cases in point (Dan. 3:18, 6:10). We must never render to Caesar that to which God
alone is entitled. "Fear God; honor the king" (1 Pet. 2:17) indicates our relative
obligations: God must be feared at all costs; the king is to be cheerfully and
universally honored so far as that consists with my fearing God. When the religious
powers forbade the apostles to preach in Christ’s name, they replied, "We ought to
obey God rather than man" (Acts 5:29). It was thus with Rahab: there was a clash
of interests: loyalty to her king and country, loyalty to God and His servants. In the
kind providence of God such a dilemma is rarely presented to a saint today, but if it
were, the lower authority must yield to the higher.
It is indeed the duty of a saint to seek the good of that country which affords him
both shelter and subsistence, nevertheless he is bound to love God and His people
more than his country and fellow-citizens. He owes fidelity to the Lord first, and
then to the place he lives in; and he is to promote the welfare of the latter so far as it
is compatible with the former. In seeking to estimate the conduct of Rahab, we must
carefully weigh Hebrews 11:31, James 2:25, and especially Joshua 2:9-11. From her
language it is manifest that she was fully convinced the Lord had purposed the
destruction of the Canannites, and therefore she must either side with Him and His
people against her country, or enter into a hopeless contest against the Almighty and
perish under His judgments. By her actions she exemplified what God requires from
every truly converted soul; to renounce allegiance with His enemies—however
closely related (Luke 14:26)—and refuse to join with them in opposing His people.
As one who had received mercy from the Lord—for Hebrews 11:31 evidences that
sovereign grace had brought her out of darkness into God’s marvelous light before
Joshua sent those men to reconnoiter—and as one who knew Jehovah had given the
land of Canaan unto Israel, it was plainly the duty of Rahab to do all in her power
to protect these Israelish spies, even at risk to her own safety. That principle is
clearly enunciated in the .T.: "we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1
John 3:16). But now the question arises, in view of that being her duty, was Rahab
warranted in resorting to falsehoods so as to protect the two men she had given
shelter to? Different opinions have been formed of her conduct, and various
arguments employed in the attempt to vindicate her. Some of the best
commentators, even among the Puritans, pleaded she was guiltless in this matter,
and we know of none who plainly stated that she sinned therein.
One of the most difficult tasks which confronts a Christian writer is that of
commenting on the offenses of God’s dear people: that on the one hand he may not

47. dip his pen in the pharisaic ink of self-superiority, and that on the other hand he
does not make light of any evil or condone what is reprehensible. He is himself
compassed with infirmity and a daily transgressor of God’s law, and should be duly
affected by a realization of the same when dealing with the faults of his fellows.
evertheless, if he be a servant of God, preaching or writing to the saints, then he
must remember that "it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful" (1
Cor. 4:2), and he is most certainly unfaithful if—even from a desire to be
charitable—he deliberately lowers God’s standard of holiness, minimizes that which
contravenes it, or glosses over anything which is culpable. Much grace and wisdom
is needed if he is to act in both a spirit of meekness and righteousness, of
compassion’ and fidelity.
It is one of the many evidences of the Divine inspiration of the Scriptures that their
Author has painted the conduct of the most eminent characters portrayed therein in
the colors of reality and truth. Unlike human biographies, which almost always
present a one-sided view-setting forth and extolling the virtues of its subjects and
ignoring or toning down their vices—the Holy Spirit has not concealed the
blemishes of the most distinguished saints: the lapses of oah, Abram, Moses, David
being faithfully chronicled. It is true that their sins are not mentioned in the .T.,
for the sufficient and blessed reason they were all under the atoning blood of the
Lamb; nevertheless, the record of them remains on the pages of the O.T.—left there
as a lasting warning unto us. Moreover, it is to be borne in mind that the sins of .T.
saints are not to be ignored but to guide those whose task it is to comment thereon.
The prevarications of Rahab unto the king’s officers is appealed to by the Jesuits in
support of their pernicious dogma "The end justifies the means", that if we aim at a
praiseworthy object it is permissible to use questionable or even evil means to attain
the same—a principle which has regulated many so-called "Protestants" during the
past century, and which is flagrantly flouted before our eyes today throughout
Christendom, as seen for example, in the carnal and worldly devices used to attract
young people to "religious" services. But "let us do evil that good may come" is a
sentiment entertained by no truly regenerate soul, rather is it detested by him; and
Scripture plainly declares of such as are actuated by it, that their "damnation is
just" (Rom. 3:8). Bellarmine, the infamous champion of Popery, boldly declared in
his work on "The Pontifice" that "If the Pope should err in commending vice or
forbidding virtue, the Church is bound to believe vice to be good and virtue to be
bad" (Book 4, chapter 5).
Some have pointed out the exceptionally trying position in which Rahab found
herself, arguing that considerable latitude should be allowed her therein. We are
aware that appeal is often made to that aphorism "Circumstances alter cases", and
while we are not sure what its originator had in mind, this we do know, that no
"circumstances" can ever obliterate the fundamental distinction between good and
evil. Let the reader settle it in his mind and conscience that it is never right to do

48. wrong and since it be sinful to lie, no circumstances can ever warrant the telling of
one. It is indeed true that all transgressions of the Divine Law are not equally
heinous in themselves nor in the sight of God: that some sins are, by reason of
certain aggravations, greater than others, even of the same species. Thus, a lie unto
God is worse than a lie unto a fellow-creature (Acts 5:4), a premeditated and
presumptuous lie is viler than one uttered upon a surprise by temptation.
It is also true that attendant circumstances should be taken into account when
seeking to determine the degree of criminality: it would be a far graver offense for
writer or reader to utter falsehoods than it was for Rahab, for we should be sinning
against greater privileges and light than she enjoyed. She had been reared in
heathendom: yet while that mitigated her offense, it certainly did not excuse her.
One preacher who occupied a prominent pulpit in London asked the question,
"Was Rahab justified in those falsehoods?" and answered in the affirmative,
arguing "She must either utter them or else betray the spies, and their lives would
have been lost". But that the reasoning of unbelief, for it leaves out God. Had Rahab
remained silent before the king’s officers declining to give any information, or had
she acknowledged that the spies were on her premises, was the Lord unable to
protect them?
We much prefer the brief remarks of Thomas Ridgley’s to those of his
contemporaries. "She would have been much clearer from the guilt of sin had she
refused to give the messengers any answer relating to them, and so had given them
leave to search for them, and left the event hereof to Providence". Undoubtedly
Rahab was placed in a most trying situation, for as Ridgley went on to point out,
"This, indeed, was a very difficult duty, for it might have endangered her life; and
her choice to secure them and herself by inventing this lie, brought with it a degree
of guilt, and was an instance of the weakness of her faith in this respect" That last
clause brings us to the heart of the matter: she failed to fully trust the Lord, and the
fear of man brought a snare. He whose angels had smitten the men of Sodom with
blindness (Gen. 19:11) and who had slain the fifty men sent to lay hands on His
prophet (2 Kings 1:9-12), could have prevented those officers finding the spies.
Some have gone even farther than exonerating Rahab, insisting that God Himself
approved of her lies, appealing to Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 in support. But
there is nothing whatever in either of those verses which intimates that the Lord
sanctioned her falsehoods. Hebrews 11:31 says nothing more about this incident
than that "she had received the spies with peace". James points out that the faith of
Rahab was "justified by works"—not by her "words"—and then specified which
"works", namely, her receiving of the messengers and her sending them out another
way. But, it may be asked, Did not the workings of providence in the sequel go to
show God approved of Rahab’s policy? did He not give success to the same?
Answer, His providences are no Rule for us to walk by or reason from: though
water flowed from the rock which Moses smote in his anger, yet that was no proof

49. God approved of His servant’s display of temper. God indeed graciously overruled
Rahab’s conduct, yet that did not vindicate her.
We frankly acknowledge—though to our shame, that were we placed in a similar
situation to the one which confronted Rahab and God should leave us to ourself, we
would acquit ourselves no better than she did, and probably far worse. Yet that
acknowledgement by no means clears her, for two wrongs do not make one right. If
God’s restraining hand be removed or His all-sufficient grace be withheld, the
strongest of us is as weak as water. Therefore none is in any position to point the
finger of scorn or throw a stone at her. As Manton tersely summed up the case "Her
lie was an infirmity, pardoned by God, and not to be exaggerated by men". It
should be remembered that Rahab had only recently been brought to a saving
acquaintance with the Lord. Many young converts have but little clear knowledge of
the Truth and therefore less should be expected from them than mature saints: they
make many mistakes, yet they have a teachable spirit, and as light increases their
walk is more and more regulated by the same.
In closing, let us point out one or two lessons which may be learned from what has
been before us. First, we may see therein the refutation of a popular and widespread
error, namely, that if our motives be right the action is a praise-worthy one. It is
quite true that an unworthy motive will ruin a good deed—as, for example,
contributing to charity in order to obtain a reputation for benevolence, or in
performing religious exercises so as to be seen and venerated by men; yet a good
motive can never render an evil act a desirable one. Even though Rahab’s design
was to protect the lives of two of God’s people, that did not render commendable the
deception which she practiced on the kings’ messengers. Four things are required to
render any action a good work in the sight of God: it must proceed from a holy
principle, be regulated by the Rule of righteousness, be done in a right spirit—of
faith or love; and be performed with a right end in view—the glory of God or the
good of His people.
Second, it is recorded—as in Holy Writ are all the failings and falls of the saints—as
a solemn warning for us to take to heart. So far from furnishing examples for us to
imitate or refuges for us to hide in, they are so many danger-signals for us to heed
and turn into earnest prayer. We are men and women of like passions as they were
subject to. ative depravity still remains in us as it did in them, even after
regeneration. In ourselves we are no stronger than they were and no better able to
resist the inclinations of the flesh. What need has each of us then, to pray "hold
Thou me up, and I shall be safe" (Ps. 119:117). And even when we are preserved
from outward sins, the flesh obtrudes and defiles our best performances. It was "by
faith" that Rahab received the spies with peace, and at risk to herself concealed
them on her roof, yet when the officers appeared on the scene her faith failed and
she resorted to lying. Our godliest deeds would damn us if they were not cleansed by
the atoning blood of Christ.

50. Third, this incident gives real point to and reveals our deep need of crying "Lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us from evil". Indeed, that seems the principal
lesson to draw from it: that I may be kept from any such situation, that, conscious of
my weakness, I may be preserved from such a temptation as confronted Rahab. We
deem it more than a coincidence that in the very midst of preparing this article we
heard—the first time in five years—from an old reader in Holland. During the last
half of that time, while the enemy was occupying that country, our friend and his
wife concealed three Jewesses in their home, and the last ten days before liberation
actually had two German billeted with them: yet no discovery was made of their
refugees. I know not what my friend had done if they had asked him point blank
whether he was sheltering any Jews; but I am thankful not to be placed in such a
situation myself.
Had I been in his place, I would have begged the Lord to keep from me any such
interrogators and counted upon His doing so. Perhaps we may be pardoned for
relating an experience—to the praise of the faithfulness of a prayer-hearing God.
Some fifteen years ago when residing in Hollywood, California, we occupied a
furnished bungalow. The owner was a Jewess, and when we gave notice of leaving
she put an advertisement in the local papers and stuck up a prominent sign "To
Let" at the foot of our drive. Though she knew we kept the Lord’s day holy and
held a small service in our room each Sabbath evening, she insisted it was her right
to show over the house those who answered the advertisement. We protested
strongly, but she would not heed, saying "Sunday" was always her best letting day.
We then told her that our God would keep away all applicants on the coming
Sabbath, which she heard with derisive scorn.
That Saturday evening my wife and I spread the matter before the Lord and begged
Him to cause His angel to encamp round about us, and protect us by keeping away
all intruders. During the Sabbath, which was a cloudless day, we continued seeking
God’s face, confident He would not put us to confusion before our landlady. ot a
single caller came to look over the house, and that night we held our little meeting as
usual, undisturbed!—one of those present will read these lines, though not until he
does so will he know what has been related. ext day our landlady, who owned two
similar bungalows, stated it was the first time in her ten years’ experience of letting
that she had ever failed to let on a "Sunday". Ah, my reader, God never fails those
who trust Him fully. He will protect you if you confidently count upon Him. "Lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil".
A Harlot’s Faith
Little as Joshua may have realized it, he was Divinely impelled and directed to send
forth the two spies to "Go view the land, even Jericho" (Josh. 2:1). Why so? Because

51. there was one of God’s elect residing in that city, and none of His sheep shall perish.
Unto that vessel of mercy were they led, in order that arrangements should be made
for her protection, so that she "perished not with them that believed not" (Heb.
11:31). There was then a needs be why those two spies should visit Jericho and
converse with Rahab, not merely a military needs be but one far more vital and
blessed. It is still another example of what we have, on several occasions, called
attention to, in these pages, namely, that when God works, He always works at both
ends of the line. As it was in the case of the Ethiopian and Philip the evangelist and
of Cornelius and Peter, so it was here. Before those two men set foot in Jericho the
Lord had already wrought, signally and savingly, in the heart of Rahab, and now
opportunity is afforded for her to confess her faith, to receive a token for good, and
to be made a blessing unto others.
The needs be for those spies entering Jericho reminds one of John 4, and there are
some striking parallels between what is recorded there and the case of Rahab. First,
we are told of the Lord Jesus that "He must needs go through Samaria" (v. 4). That
"must" was not a geographical but a moral one. From all eternity it had been
ordained that He should go through Samaria There was one of God’s elect there,
and though she was "alienated from the commonwealth of Israel", being a
Samaritan, yet she could not be ignored: "other sheep I have which are not of this
fold, them also I must bring" (John 10:16) declared the good Shepherd. There were
those in Samaria whom the Father had given Him from before the foundation of the
world, and them He must save. And, my reader, if you be one of God’s elect, even
though now unregenerate, there is a needs be put on the Lord Jesus to save you. For
years you have been fleeing from Him, but when the appointed time arrives, He will
overtake you.’ You may kick against the pricks, as did Saul of Tarsus, but He will
overcome your rebellion and reluctance and win you to Himself.
Second, not only was the one whom Christ was constrained to seek and save in John
4 a woman, and a Gentile, but she was one of loose moral character. Said He to her,
"Thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband" (v.
18). Such too had been this chosen one in Jericho: defiled both in mind and body
with idolatry and adultery—"Rahab the harlot". Many of God’s elect, though by no
means all of them, fall into gross wickedness in their unconverted days: fornicators,
idolaters, thieves, drunkards, extortioners: "and such were some of you; but ye are
washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and
by the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:9-11). How illustriously is the sovereign mercy
and invincible might of God displayed in the conforming of such unto His image!
"Base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen" And
why so? "That no flesh should glory in His presence" (1 Cor. 1:26-29), that His
wondrous grace might the more clearly appear.
But grace does not leave its subjects in the condition in which it finds them. o
indeed, it appears "Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we

52. should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for that
blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus
Christ" (Titus 2:12,13). Saving faith is ever accompanied by evangelical repentance,
which mourns over past sins and resolves to avoid a repetition of them in the future.
Saving faith ever produces obedience, being fruitful in good works. Those who are
the recipients of God’s grace are not only grateful for their own salvation, but are
concerned about the salvation of others, especially of those near and dear to them by
nature. When Christ stood revealed to the Samaritan adulteress, she "went her way
into the city and saith to the men, Come see a man, which told me all things that I
ever did: is not this the Christ?", and "many believed on Him" (vv. 28, 29, 39). So
too Rahab asked for kindness to be shown her father’s house, and her whole family
found deliverance (Josh. 2:12, 13). But we are anticipating.
The case of Rahab is worthy of our closest attention, for it exemplifies and magnifies
the riches of Divine mercy in many striking respects. Born and brought up in
heathendom, belonging to a race that was to be exterminated, her salvation was a
signal display of God’s dominion, who not only singles out whom He pleases to be
the recipients of His favors, but is trammeled by nothing in the bestowal of them.
"She was not only a Gentile, but an Amoritess, of that race and seed which in
general was devoted to destruction. She was therefore an instance of God’s
sovereignty in dispensing with His positive laws, as it seemed good unto Him, for of
His own mere pleasure He exempted her from the doom announced against all those
of her original and traducion" (John Owen). Being the supreme Potentate, God is
not bound by any law or consideration other than His own imperial will, and
therefore does He have mercy on whom He will have mercy, and whom He will He
hardens" (Rom. 9:18).
In God’s saving of Rahab and bringing her into the congregation of His people we
may perceive a clear and glorious foreshadowing, of the fuller scope of His eternal
purpose as it is now made more plainly manifest in this .T. era. Since Rahab was a
Canaanite, she was by nature cut off from the Abrahamic stock and therefore a
"stranger to the covenants of promise" (Eph. 2:12). By her conversion and
admission into the congregation of Israel she was obviously both a type and a pledge
of the calling of the Gentiles and their reception into the mystical Body of Christ.
Thus did coming events cast their shadows before them. In such cases as Rahab and
Ruth God gave an early intimation that His redemptive purpose was not confined to
a single people, but that it reaches out unto favored individuals in all nations. Their
incorporation by marriage among the Hebrews was a blessed adumbration of the
"wild olive tree" being graft in and made a partaker of "the root and fatness of the
(good) olive tree" (Rom. 11:17). Such we believe is, in part at least, the typical and
dispensational significance of what is here before us.
But the outstanding feature of this remarkable case is the free and discriminating
grace of God toward her. ot only did Rahab belong to a heathen race, but she was

53. a notorious profligate, and in singling her out to be the recipient of His
distinguishing and saving favor God made it evident that He is no respecter of
persons. By her choice she was given up to the vilest of sins, but by the Divine choice
she was predestinated to be delivered from the miry pit and washed whiter than
snow by the precious blood of Christ, and given a place in His own family. It is in
just such cases as hers that the unmerited favor of God shines forth the more
resplendently. There was nothing whatever in that poor fallen woman to commend
her to God’s favorable regard, but where sin had abounded grace did much more
abound, bestowing upon her His unsolicited and unearned favors—the gift of
eternal life (Rom. 6:23), the gift of saving faith (Eph. 2:8, 9), the gift of evangelical
repentance (Acts 5:31). He is indeed "the God of all grace" (1 Pet. 5:10), and as such
He is a giving and freely-conferring God, and not one who barters and sells. His
bestowments are "without money and without price", imparted to spiritual
bankrupts and paupers.
ot only may we behold in Rahab’s case the exercise of Divine sovereignty and the
manifestation of Divine grace, but we may also pause and admire the wondrous
working of God’s power. This is best perceived if we take into careful consideration
the virtually unparalleled element which entered into it: here the Holy Spirit
wrought almost entirely apart from the ordinary means of grace. There were no
Sabbaths observed in Jericho, there were no Scriptures available for reading, there
were no prophets sounding forth messages from Heaven, nevertheless Rahab was
quickened unto newness of life and brought unto a saving knowledge of the true
God. The Lord Almighty is not restricted to the employing of certain agencies nor
hindered by the lack of instruments: He deigns to use such or dispenses with them
entirely as He pleases. He has but to speak, and it is done, to command, and it stands
fast (Ps. 33:9). It is to be duly noted that this woman, who had previously walked in
open sin, was regenerated and converted before the spies came to her house: their
visit simply afforded an opportunity for the avowal and public manifestation of her
faith.
It is quite clear from both the Old and .T. that Rahab was converted before the
two spies first spoke to her. Her language to them was that of a believer: "I know
that the Lord hath given you the land...the Lord your God He is God in heaven
above and in earth beneath" (Josh. 2:9,11) — yea, such assurance puts many a
modern professing believer to shame. "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with
them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace" (Heb. 11:31).
Summing up the whole of her conduct on that occasion, Thos. Scott pointed out, "It
cannot therefore be reasonably doubted her faith had, before this, been
accompanied with deep repentance of those sinful practices from which she derived
the name of Rahab the harlot’"; with which we heartily concur. But some, who have
been poisoned with the errors of dispensationalism, and others who are slaves to the
mere letter and sound of the Word, are likely to object, saying that is a gratuitous
assumption, for the word "repentance" is never found in Scripture in connection
with Rahab. For their benefit we will devote another paragraph or two unto this

54. subject.
"Repent ye and believe the Gospel" (Mark 1:15); "Testifying both to the Jews and
also to the Greeks repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ"
(Acts 20:21). A contrite spirit and a heart acceptance of the Gospel are inseparably
connected, so that wherever the one is mentioned the other is presupposed. For
example, take the passages recording the Gospel commission: in Mark 16:16 the
emphasis is on "believing", while in Luke 24:47 it is on "repentance"—the two
together explaining the "make disciples" of Matthew 28:19. The one cannot exist
without the other: it is just as morally impossible for an impenitent heart to believe,
as it is for an unbeliever to repent. There may indeed be a mental assent to the
Truth unaccompanied by any brokenness of heart, as there may be natural remorse
where no faith exists; but there can be no saving faith where evangelical repentance
is absent. Since the faith of Rahab was a saving one, as Hebrews 11 clearly shows, it
must have been attended with godly sorrow for sin and reformation of life. There
can be no pardon while there is no repentance (Isa. 55:7, Luke 24:47, Acts 3:19) i.e.
mourning over and abandoning of our evil ways.
Repentance is a change of mind: one that goes much deeper and includes far more
than a mere change of opinion or creed. It is a changed mind, a new perception, an
altogether different outlook on things as they previously appeared. It is the
necessary effect of a new heart. Repentance consists of a radical change of mind
about God, about sin, about self, about the world. Previously God was resisted, now
He is owned as our rightful Lord. Previously sin was delighted in, but now it is
hated and mourned over. Previously self was esteemed, but now it is abhorred.
Previously we were of the world and its friendship was sought and prized, now our
hearts have been divorced from the world and we regard it as an enemy. Everything
is viewed with other eyes than formerly, and an entirely different estimate is formed
of them. The impenitent see in Christ no beauty that they should desire Him, but a
broken and contrite heart perceives that He is perfectly suited to him. Thus, while
He continues to be despised by the self-righteous Pharisees, He is welcomed and
entertained by publicans and sinners. Repentance softens the hard soil of the soul
and makes it receptive to the Gospel Seed.
Repentance necessarily leads to a change of conduct, for a change of mind must
produce a change of action: repentance and reformation of life are inseparable.. It
must have been thus with Rahab: she who had been a harlot, would become chaste,
and a life of wanton pleasure would give place to one of honest work. Some may
deem our conclusion a ‘far-fetched’ one, but personally we consider that we are
given a plain intimation of her changed manner of life. In Joshua 2:6 we are told
that she brought them up to the roof of the house and hid them with the stalks of
flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof". As there is not a superfluous nor
meaningless word in the Scriptures, why then has the Holy Spirit specified the
particular kind of straw which Rahab used to cover and conceal the two spies? ow

55. "flax" was laboriously gathered by the industrious women, laid out on the flat roofs
of the houses to dry, and was then used for spinning and weaving. The presence of a
quantity of it "laid out" on Rahab’s roof was an evidence she was now living a
useful life.
But that is not all the presence of the "flax" tells us. If we go to the trouble of
searching our concordance and comparing Scripture with Scripture, we discover
something yet more praiseworthy. In the last chapter of the book of Proverbs we are
supplied with a full-length portrait of "a virtuous woman", and one of her features
is that "she seeketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands"! Such we
are assured was now the character and occupation of this outstanding monument of
mercy. Another mark of repentance is a changed esteem of and attitude toward the
people of God: formerly their presence irritated, for their piety condemned us; but
when the heart be changed by the operations of Divine grace, their company and
communion is desired and valued. It was thus with Rahab and the two Israelites:
she "received the spies with peace" (Heb. 11:31) is the Divine testimony. It was not
with reluctance and complaint that she accepted them into her abode, but with a
spirit of good will, welcoming and giving them shelter. Admire then the blessed
transformation which the operations of the Spirit had wrought in her character.
Let us now consider more particularly her faith. First, the ground of it. "Faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10:17). This does not
mean that faith is originated by hearing the Word of God, any more than that the
shining of the sun imparts sight to the eye. o, faith is bestowed by a sovereign act
of the Spirit, and then it is instructed and nourished by the Word. As an unimpaired
eye receives light from the sun and is thereby enabled to perceive objects so faith
takes in the testimony of God and is regulated thereby. My acceptance of the Truth
does not create faith, but makes manifest that I have faith, and it becomes the sure
ground on which my faith rests. Unto the spies Rahab said, "I know that the Lord
hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us and that all the
inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried
up the water of the Red Sea for you when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did
unto the two kings of the Amorites that were on the other side, Jordan, Sihon and
Og whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things our hearts
did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you"
(vv. 9-11).
How marked the contrast between Rahab and that generation of Israel whose
carcasses fell in the wilderness! They not only "heard" of but were the actual eye-
witnesses of those wonderful prodigies which Jehovah wrought on behalf of His
people. They personally saw Him cleave a way for them right through the Red Sea
so that they passed through it dry-shod, and then His causing the waters to come
together again to the drowning of Pharaoh and his hosts. They beheld the solemn
manifestation of His august presence on Sinai. They were the daily recipients of a

56. supernatural supply of food from heaven, and drank of water which was made to
gush from a smitten rock. But their hearts were unaffected and no faith was
begotten within them. They too "heard" God’s voice (Heb. 3:5, 6) but responded
not, and therefore were debarred from the promised land: "they could not enter in
because of unbelief" (Heb. 3:19). Ah, my reader, something more than the beholding
of miracles or witnessing outward displays of God’s power is required in order to
beget faith in those who are spiritually dead, as was evidenced again in the days of
Christ.
How marked the contrast too between Rahab and the rest of her compatriots! As
her words in Joshua 2:9-11 clearly indicate, they too heard the same reports she did
of the marvels performed by the Lord’s might, yet they produced no faith in them.
They were indeed awestruck and terrified by the accounts of the same that reached
them, so that for a season there did not remain any more courage in them; but that
was all. Just as under the faithful preaching of God’s servants many have been
temporarily affected by announcements of the Day of Judgment and the wrath to
come, but never surrendered themselves to the Lord. God declared unto Israel,
"This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations
that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble
and be in anguish because of thee" (Deut. 2:25). That was literally fulfilled in the
case of the inhabitants of Jericho, yet it wrought no spiritual change in them, for
they were children in whom was no faith, and they had no faith because no miracle
of grace was wrought in their souls. Of itself the soundest preaching effects no
spiritual change in those who hear it.
Mark the contrast: "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed
not" (Heb. 11:31). And why? Because a sovereign God had made her to differ from
them (1 Cor. 4:7). She was blessed with "the faith of the operation of God" (Col.
2:12). Consequently, she "heard" of the works of the Lord not merely with the
outward ear, as was the case with all her fellow-citizens, but with the ear of the
heart, and therefore was she affected by those tidings in a very different manner
from what they were who heard but "believed not". It is clear from her words "I
know that the Lord hath given you the land" that she had both heard and believed
the promises which He had made to Abraham and his seed, and perceiving He was a
gracious and giving God, hope had been born in her. Behold then the distinguishing
favor of God unto this vessel of mercy and realize that something more than
listening to the Gospel is needed to beget faith in us. "The hearing ear and the seeing
eye, the Lord hath made even both of them" (Prov. 20:12). Only those "believe the
report" to whom "the arm (power) of the Lord is revealed" (Isa. 53:1). As later with
Lydia, so Rahab was one "whose heart the Lord opened that she attended unto the
things which were spoken" (Acts 16:14).
Solemn indeed is the warning pointed by the unbelieving fellows of Rahab. So far as
we are informed, they heard precisely the same report as she did. or did they treat

57. those tidings with either skepticism or contempt: instead, they were deeply affected
by them, being terror-stricken, The news of God’s judgments upon the Egyptians,
and their nearer neighbors, the Amorites, made their hearts melt as they feared it
would be their turn next. If it be asked, Why did they not immediately and earnestly
cry unto God for mercy, the answer—in part, at least—is supplied by Ecclesiastes
8:11: "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the
heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" Space was given for
repentance, but they repented not. A further respite was granted during the six days
that the hosts of Israel marched around Jericho, but when nothing happened and
those hosts returned to their camp, its inhabitants continued to harden their hearts.
Thus it is with the majority of our fellows today, even of those who are temporarily
alarmed under the faithful ministry of God’s servants.
The workings of natural fear and the stirrings of an uneasy conscience soon subside;
having no spiritual root, they endure not. Only one in all that city was Divinely
impressed by the account which had been received of the Lord’s work in
overthrowing the wicked. Ah, my reader, God’s sheep have ever been few in
number, though usually a great many goats have mingled with them, so that at a
distance and to a superficial survey it seems as though the flock is of a considerable
size. ot only few in number, but frequently isolated from each other, one here and
one there, for the children of God are "scattered abroad" (John 11:52). The
experience of David was very far from being a unique one when he. Exclaimed "I
am like a pelican of the wilderness, I am like an owl of the desert. I watch, and am
as a sparrow alone upon the housetop" (Ps. 102:6, 7). God’s thoughts and ways are
not as ours, being infinitely wiser and better, though only the anointed eye can
perceive that. ot only is His keeping power more strikingly displayed, and
glorified, by preserving a lone sheep in the midst of goats and wolves, but that
solitary believer is cast back the more upon Him.
It is this very loneliness of the saint which serves to make manifest the genuineness
of his faith. There is nothing remarkable in one believing what all his associates
believe, but to have faith when surrounded by skeptics, is something noteworthy. To
stand alone, to be the solitary champion of a righteous cause when all others are
federated unto evil, is a rare sight. Yet such was Rahab. There were none in Jericho
with whom she could have fellowship, none there to encourage her heart and
strengthen her hands by their godly counsel and example: all the more opportunity
for her to prove the sufficiency of Divine grace! Scan slowly the list presented in
Hebrews 11, and then recall the recorded circumstances of each. With whom did
Abel, Enoch, oah have spiritual communion? From what brethren did Joseph,
Moses, Gideon receive any help along the way? Who were the ones who encouraged
and emboldened Elijah, Daniel, ehemiah? Then think it not strange that you are
called to walk almost if not entirely alone, that you meet with scarcely any like-
minded or any who are capable of giving you a lift along the road.

58. During the past six years this magazine was sent to quite a number in the different
fighting forces, and without a single exception they informed us that they were
circumstanced similarly to Rahab. Some were with the British, some with the
Colonials, some with the Americans; some were in the navy, others in the army and
air force; but one and all reported the same thing—totally cut off from contact with
fellow-Christians. The "Studies" were sent to anal deeply appreciated by men in
both the royal and the merchant navies, but in each instance they were on different
ships, surrounded by the ungodly. How easily the Lord could have gathered them
together on to one ship! But He did not. And it was for their good that He did not,
otherwise He had ordered things differently (Rom. 8:28). Faith must be tried, to
prove its worth. or is it a hot-house plant, which wilts and withers at the first
touch of frost. o, it is hardy and sturdy, and so far from winds and rain dashing it
to pieces, they are but occasions for it to become more deeply rooted and vigorous.
The isolation of Rahab appears in that utterance of hers: "I know your terror is
fallen upon us". They were but naturally and temporarily affected, she spiritually
and permanently so. What she heard came to her soul with Divine power. And again
we say, it was God who made her to differ. By nature her heart was no different
from that of her companions, but having been supernaturally quickened into
newness of life, she received with meekness the engrafted Word. "All men have not
faith" (2 Thess. 3:2) because all are not born again. Faith is one of the attributes and
activities of that spiritual life (or nature) which is communicated at regeneration.
The firm foundation for faith to rest upon is the sure Word of God, and Divine
testimony: by it alone is faith supported and established. Frames and feelings have
nothing whatever to do with it, nor is spiritual confidence either begotten or
nourished by them. Assurance comes from implicitly receiving the Word into the
heart and relying upon it. Such was the case with Rahab: "I know that the Lord
hath given you the land . . . (or we have heard how the Lord" etc. She received those
tidings "not as the word of men, but as it is in truth the Word of God" (1 Thess.
2:13). Have you done so, my reader?
Observe well how definite and confident was her language. There was no "if" or
"perhaps", no dubious "I hope", but instead, a sure and positive "I know". That
was the knowledge of a saving faith. It is true that faith and assurance may be
distinguished, yet they can no more be separated than can faith and obedience.
Faith without works is dead, and faith without assurance is something of which this
writer can find no mention in Scripture. We refer, of course, to a saving faith. What
is that faith? It is taking God at His Word, appropriating it unto myself; personally
resting upon the testimony of Him who cannot lie. ow I either am doing so, or I am
not. If I am, then I must be conscious of so doing, for I cannot possibly be trusting in
God and relying on His promise and yet be unaware that I am so doing. Read
through the .T. epistles and nowhere is there a single passage addressed to saints
who questioned their acceptance by God, but everywhere the language is "we
know" 2 Corinthians 5:l, Galatians 4:9, Ephesians 6:9, Philippians 1:6, Colossians
3:24, 1 Thessalonians 1:4, 1 Peter 1:18, 19.

59. Rahab’s faith was not only accompanied with confidence but it regulated her
actions. The faith of God’s elect is a living, energetic principle, which "worketh by
love" (Gal. 5:6) and produces fruit to the glory of God. Therein it differs radically
from that nominal and inoperative faith of frothy professors, which goes no deeper
than a mere mental assent to the Gospel and ends in fair but empty words. That
faith which is unaccompanied by an obedient walk and abounds not in good works
is "dead, being alone" (James 2:17). Different far was the faith of Rahab. Of her we
read, ‘likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had
received the messengers and had sent them out another way" (James 2:25). This
does not mean that her good works was the meritorious ground of her acceptance
with God, but that they were the evidence before men that a spiritual principle had
been communicated to her, the fruits of which vindicated and approved her
profession, demonstrating that she was a member of the household of faith. "Had
she said ‘I believe God is yours and Canaan is yours, but I dare not show you any
kindness, her faith had been dead and inactive, and would not have justified her . . .
Those only are true believers that can find in their hearts to venture for God, and
take His people for their people, and cast in their lot among them" (Matthew
Henry).
That is something which needs to be constantly insisted upon in this day of empty
profession. A faith which does not issue in conversion is not a saving one, and
conversion is a radical change of conduct, a right-about face, a reversal of our
former manner of life. Saving faith necessarily involves the relinquishing of what
previously occupied the heart, the repudiation of what formerly was trusted in, the
abandonment of all that is opposed to the thrice holy God. It therefore involves the
denying of self and the forsaking of old companions. It was thus with Abram, who
was required to leave his old situation in Ur of Chaldea and follow the call of God. It
was thus with Moses, who "refused to be called (any longer) the son of Pharaoh’s
daughter. Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy
the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures of Egypt" (Heb. 11:24-26). It was thus with Ruth, who, in sharp
contrast from Orphah went "back unto her people and unto her gods", refusing to
forsake aomi, averring "thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God"
(Ruth 1:15, 16). And it was thus with Rahab. A faith which does not relinquish
anything and produce a break from former associations is worth nothing.
Yes, Rahab’s faith was a self-denying one, and nothing short of that is what the
Gospel requires from all to whom it is addressed. Said the Lord Jesus, "Whosoever
will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me"
(Mark 8:34); and again, "Whosoever does not bear his cross and come after Me,
cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:27). Ah, dear friend, you may profess to "believe
John 3:16", but suffer us to ask, Do you also, do you really, believe Luke 14:27? Be
honest with yourself: does your daily walk supply proof you do so? The self-denying
faith of Rahab appeared in her preferring the will of God to the safety of her

60. country and in sheltering those two spies before the pleasing of her fellow-citizens.
Still more conspicuously did it appear in the venturing of her own life rather than
betray the messengers of Joshua, who were the worshippers of the true God. Her
faith in God and love for His people made her scorn whatever scoffs she might be
subject to and the dangers threatening her. A saving faith is ready, whenever God
shall call upon us, to part with everything which we hold near and dear in this
world. Acts of self-denying obedience are the best and surest evidences of a real
spiritual faith.
From the standpoint of natural and temporal considerations Rahab’s faith cost her
something. It induced her "to renounce all her interests among the devoted
Canaanites (i.e., doomed to destruction), to venture her life and expose herself to the
imminent danger of the most cruel tortures in expressing her love for the people of
God (T. Scott). Such is the wonder-working power of the Spirit in a human soul,
producing that which is contrary to fallen human nature, causing it to act from new
principles and motives, making it to prefer sufferings for Christ’s sake and to
endure afflictions by throwing in its lot with His people, than to pursue any longer
the vanities of this world. Such was the transformation wrought in Saul of Tarsus,
who not only bore with fortitude the persecutions which faith in Christ entailed, but
rejoiced that he was counted worthy to suffer for His sake. Such too has been the
blessed fruit borne by the faith of many a converted Jew since then, and many a
Gentile too, especially those in Papish and heathen countries, as the missionary-
records abundantly testify. And such in stone measure is the case with every
converted soul.
In "receiving the spies with peace" Rahab made it manifest that she had a heart for
the people of God, and was ready to do everything in her power to assist them . . .
That brief clause summarizes all that is revealed in Joshua 2 of her kindly conduct
toward the two Israelites. She welcomed them into her home, engaged them in
spiritual conversation, made provision for their safety, and refused to betray them.
"Her whole conduct manifested a reverential fear of the Lord, an entire belief of His
Word, a desire and hope of His favor, an affection for His people, and a disposition
to forsake, venture and suffer anything in His cause" (Scott). We believe there is a
latent reference to her kindness (as well as Abram’s) in Hebrews 13, for the word
translated "messengers" in James 2:25 is the one rendered "angels" in Hebrews
13:2: "Let brotherly love continue, Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for
thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds,
as bound with them". Alas, that so many today instead of so doing, are almost ready
to rend each other to pieces over every difference of opinion.
Yet, as we saw in our last, Rahab’s faith—like ours—was not free from defect, for
her falsehoods proceeded from one who failed to trust God fully. This illustrates, in
a general way, the humbling fact that in our best performances there is a mingling
of frailty and folly. But let it be pointed out that in this matter her conduct is far

61. from being recorded as an excuse for us to shelter behind. Rather is it chronicled as
a solemn warning, and also to teach us that faith in its beginnings has many
blemishes. God bears with much weakness, especially in the lambs of His flock.
Those who have faith do not always act faith, but there is often much of the flesh
mixed with that which is of the spirit. Very different is our case and situation from
that of this young convert from heathendom. Rightly did the editor of Matthew
Henry’s O.T. commentary point out, "Her views of the Law must have been
exceedingly dim and contracted: a similar falsehood told by those who enjoy the
light of Revelation, however laudable the motive, would of course deserve much
heavier censure".
"And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land...for the
Lord your God, He is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath" (vv. 9, 11). Here
we find her making an open avowal of that which the Holy Spirit had secretly
wrought in her heart. She acknowledged Jehovah to be the true God, that Israel was
the people whom He had loved and owned, and hoped for a place among them.
othing less is required from the believing sinner today: "If thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10:9). The Lord will not own any
cowardly and secret disciples. "Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men,
him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall
deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven"
(Matthew 10:32, 33). Joseph was not ashamed to confess his God in Egypt, nor
Daniel in Babylon, and when Paul stood forth in the midst of the idolatrous crew
and soldiers on the ship and told of the reassuring message he had received from the
angel of God, he added, "whose I am, and whom I serve" (Acts 27:23). Then, no
matter where we be, let us not be afraid to show our colors and make known whose
banner we serve under.
" ow therefore, I pray you, sware unto me by the Lord, since I have showed you
kindness, that ye will also show kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true
token. And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and
my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death" (vv. 12, 13).
Some contracted hearts, in which the very milk of human kindness appears to have
congealed, would regard this request of Rahab’s as highly presumptuous.
Personally, we believe that her soul was so overflowing with gratitude unto the Lord
for having saved such an abandoned wretch, that her faith now perceived something
of the infinitude of the Divine mercy, and believed that such a God would be willing
to show grace to the whole of her family. or was she disappointed. Moreover, as
Matthew Henry rightly pointed out, "those who show mercy may expect to receive
mercy". Thus God promised Ebedmelech, in recompense for his kindness to the
prophet, that in the worst of times he should "have his life for a prey" (Jer. 39:18).
That this request of Rahab’s was something more than an expression of the

62. tenderness of nature is evident from the whole of its tenor: that it was the language
of faith appears from her assurance that without any doubt Canaan was going to
fall before Israel. Her "sware unto me by the Lord" indicates the intelligence of her
faith—a solemn oath would clinch the matter. In asking for a "true token", she
made request for some pledge of deliverance —the word occurs first in Genesis 9,
where God announced that the rainbow would be "the token of the covenant", in
supplicating for the deliverance of her whole family, she left us an example which
we may well follow. It is right that we should desire God to show mercy unto those
who are near and dear unto us: not to do so would show we were lacking in natural
affection. It only becomes wrong, when we ignore God’s sovereignty, and dictate
instead of supplicate. It is blessed to observe that He who has said "according unto
your faith be it unto you", responded to Rahab’s faith (Josh. 6:22)!
The Scarlet Cord
Rahab’s request of the two spies that they should enter into a solemn covenant with
her, guaranteeing the preservation of her family from the impending destruction of
Jericho (Josh. 2:12, 13), placed them in a very awkward predicament, or it is more
accurate to say, presents an acute problem which we fear some of our moderns
would fail to solve aright. Only a short time before, Israel had received the following
commandment concerning their treatment of the Canaanites: "When the Lord thy
God shall deliver them before thee, thou shalt smite them and utterly destroy them:
thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor show mercy unto them." (Deut. 7:2). In
the light of that express prohibition, what ought the spies to do? The correct answer
to that question turns upon the proper application of a real and necessary
distinction between the Divine commands—a distinction which has been drawn by
well-instructed scribes in all ages—namely, between moral and positive laws: the
one being grounded in essential rectitude, the other in sovereignty. The moral
nature with which God has endowed us teaches that parents should cherish and
care for their children, and that children should revere and obey their parents; but
it would not prompt Christians to practice baptism or observe the Lord’s supper—
those are positive institutions, ad extra.
The things enjoined by God’s positive laws depend solely on His sovereign pleasure,
there being no other reason for them. But the things enjoined by His moral precepts
are required not only by the authority of His will, but also by that nature and order
of things which He has placed in the creation. The former are alterable at His
pleasure, being appointed by mere. prerogative’ the other are perpetual, enforcing
as they do the necessary distinctions of good and evil. All the ceremonial laws given
unto Israel were of the former order thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine
heart and thy neighbor as thyself—the sum of the Ten Words—belonging unto the
latter. The former are only of local application unto those who receive them by
Divine revelation, the latter are universally binding on all who are possessed of
moral accountability. Whenever obedience to a positive law would involve a plain

63. violation of the principles of the moral law, then the inferior must necessarily yield
to the superior though God requires us to believe and do many things which are
contrary to our depraved inclinations, yet He never demands from us that which is
opposed to the moral nature He has given us.
An illustration of the distinction pointed out above is supplied by the case of David
and his men when they were a hungered, and he requested five loaves of the show
bread (1 Sam. 21). Abimelech the priest pointed out that that bread was not for
common use, but had been "sanctified unto the Lord", yet after being assured the
men were free from defilement, gave the loaves unto David. one other than our
Lord tells us that though it "was not lawful" for them to eat the sacred bread, yet
they were "blameless" (Matthew 12:3-6). Thus the positive law which prohibited the
priest from giving the hallowed bread for food unto David and his men, yielded to
the pressing need of the situation. "The Son of David approves of it, and shows from
it that mercy is to be preferred to sacrifice, that ritual observances must give way to
moral duties, and that that may be done in a case of urgent providential necessity
which may not otherwise be done" (Matthew Henry).
The law laid down in Deuteronomy 7:2 was, then, a positive one, and neither
absolute in its force nor binding in all cases, for justice itself requires that we must
ever show mercy unto the merciful and never return evil for good. ow Rahab had
shown mercy unto the two spies, and at great risk to herself. The instincts of
humanity would fill them with kindly feeling toward their benefactress. Gratitude is
a law of nature, and the law of nature takes precedence over positive precepts. Thus
those two godly Israelites had sufficient moral sensibility and spiritual discernment
to perceive that Deuteronomy 7:2 could not debar them from acting justly and
kindly toward her who had ensured their safety. Yet, though their duty was quite
clear, that did not warrant them acting hurriedly and rashly. o arrangement
should be entered into thoughtlessly, on tire impulse of the moment. o definite
promise should be made until we have carefully weighed what we are committing
ourselves unto, for our word must be our bond. Still less should we enter into any
solemn compact without first prayerfully and thoroughly pondering all that is
involved in it.
"And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye (better "thou", as in verse 20)
utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land,
that we will deal kindly and truly with thee". (Josh. 2:14). Let it be noted that the
fulfillment of Rahab’s request was suspended upon an "if"! ecessarily so, for those
men were entering into a covenant with her—as her "sware unto me by the Lord"
intimated’ compare 1 Samuel 20:16,17: Psalm 89:3—and a covenant is a mutual
compact in which each party agrees to do or grant certain things in return for the
other fulfilling certain conditions. That which they agreed upon was qualified by
three provisos, the first of which was that she must continue loyal to their interests.
Thus we see their circumspection in binding Rahab to this condition. "They that

64. will be conscientious in keeping their promises, will be cautious in making them, and
perhaps may insert certain conditions which may otherwise seem frivolous
(Matthew Henry). The Christian should always qualify his promises with "the Lord
willing" or "the Lord enabling me".
They solemnly bound themselves for her preservation in the common destruction of
Jericho. Their "our life instead of you to die" (margin) not only affirmed that they
would be as much concerned about her safety as their own, but signified a definite
imprecation of God’s judgment on them if they failed in their part of the agreement.
"We will deal kindly with thee" was an assurance that their words would prove no
empty ones, but that there should be an actual performance of what was promised.
Observe too how they employed the language of faith: "it shall be when the Lord
hath given us the land." There was no doubt in their minds about the issue: instead,
they were fully convinced that Canaan was going to be conquered—yet "by the
Lord" and as His "gift"! We too should wage the fight of faith with full assurance of
the outcome, that the Lord will grant ultimate success, so that each exclaims, "I will
dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Ps. 23:6). In their "we will deal kindly"
they gave proof they were imbrued with no ferocious spirit, and were far from being
the blood-thirsty creatures which infidels charge the conquerors of Canaan with
being.
"Then she let them down by a cord through the window, for her house was upon the
town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall" (v. 15). As soon as she received promise
from the spies, Rahab set about assisting them in their escape. It was most
convenient for them that her house was so situated, for had it been in the center of
the town there was much more likelihood of their being recognized and arrested;
but being on the outer wall, they could be let down by night unseen by unfriendly
eyes. Yet let it be pointed out that the convenience was no mere happy coincidence
but ordered by the Lord, for of all men He hath appointed "the bounds of their
habitation" (Acts 17:26)—a sovereign God ordained where each of us should be
born and reside. But not only was the particular location of Rahab’s house of
assistance to the spies, it also served to display more evidently the power of God, for
it was the wall of the city which "fell down flat" (Josh. 6:20) and the preservation of
her lone house amid the universal devastation, stood forth as a monument both of
His might and of His mercy.
"And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you, and
hide your elves three days until the pursuers be returned, and afterward may ye go
your way" (v. 16). It is striking to behold the blending together of Divine power and
human precaution all through, this incident. The grand truth of Divine preservation
is typically illustrated, yet that preservation was accomplished by the use of means
at every point: Rahab’s by obeying the orders she received, her house because of the
cord in her window, the spies by concealing themselves in the mountain. Let those
who teach the "eternal security of the saints" see to it that they present it with the

65. safeguards by which God has hedged it about. True, the accomplishment of His
eternal purpose of grace is not left contingent upon the acts of the creature,
nevertheless He who has ordained the end has also appointed the means by which
that end is reached. God has not promised to conduct any one to Heaven without the
exercise of his faculties and the discharge of his responsibility. He deals with us
throughout as moral agents, and requires us to heed His warnings and avoid that
which would destroy us (1 Cor. 9:27).
Committing my soul and its eternal interests into the hand of the Lord by no means
releases me of obligation. "He who has fixed the limits of our life, has also entrusted
us with the care of it; has furnished us with means and supports for its preservation,
has also made us provident of dangers, and that they may not oppress us unawares
has furnished us with cautions and remedies. Thus it is evident what is our duty".
That, my reader, is a quotation not from the Arminian, John Wesley, but from the
Reformer, John Calvin!—alas that so many who claim to be Calvinists lack his
wisdom and balance of doctrine. The truth of Divine preservation is not designed as
a shelter for either laziness or licentiousness. God’s promises are made to those who
honestly strive against sin and mourn when tripped up by it, and not to those who
take their fill thereof and delight therein; for He undertakes to keep His saints in
holiness and not in wickedness. If God has turned our feet into that way which
leadeth unto life, we must continue therein, otherwise we shall never reach our
desired destination. Only those who press forward to that which is before reach the
Goal.
Saving faith is far more than an isolated act: it is a spiritual principle which
continues to operate in those to whom it is communicated. Divine preservation
works through Christian perseverance, for grace is given us not to render our
efforts needless, but to make them effectual. God does not carry His children to
glory in a state of passivity, but works in them both to will and to do of His good
pleasure—to hate and fear sin, to desire and strive after holiness; to heed His
warnings, to shun the things which would destroy, to keep His commandments. The
Christian must continue as he began, for Christian perseverance is the maintaining
of godly affections and practices. We are indeed "kept by the power of God", yet
"through faith" (1 Pet. 1:5), and therefore so long as the flesh is left in us and we in
the world, we are required to attend unto that exhortation "Take heed, brethren,
lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living
God" (Heb. 3:13), for the verses which follow solemnly remind us that many of
those who came out of Egypt never entered Canaan!—"they could not enter in
because of unbelief" (v. l9).
"And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you, and
hide yourselves three days until the pursuers be returned, and afterward may ye go
your way". Observe how this illustrates and enforces what we have just said above.
The spies were under the immediate care of God, they had trustfully committed

66. themselves into His hands, and He would certainly bring them safely back unto
Joshua. evertheless, they were required to exercise care and caution, and they did
so, for verse 22 shows they acted in exact accordance with Rahab’s counsels. They
might have argued, We cannot afford to waste three days in the mountain, rather
does it behoove us to make all possible speed to Joshua and make our report unto
him. But that had been only the feverish energy of the flesh: "he that believeth shall
net make haste" (Isa. 28:16)—alas that that wise old proverb "Slow but sure, is sure
to do well" is now despised. or did those spies, under the plea of trusting God,
recklessly disregard the peril of being captured by the pursuers—that had keen
tempting Him, acting presumptuously rather than believingly. God requires us to
conduct ourselves circumspectly, to exercise good judgment.
"And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of this thine oath, which thou
hast made us to sware. Behold, when we come into this land, thou shalt bind this
line of scarlet thread (or "rope") in the window which thou didst let us down by;
and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy
father’s household home unto thee" (vv. 17,18). If the spies must need take due
precautions for their personal safety, equally indispensable was it that Rahab
should act in obedience with their orders, otherwise they would be released from
their promise and the oath would no longer be binding upon them. Their oath, as
pointed out above, was for the confirmation of the covenant they had entered into
with Rahab, and a covenant is a mutual compact between two parties, which is
rendered null and void if either of them fails to keep his part of the agreement. ow
the Gospel itself is a covenant, for in it God offers and promises certain blessings
upon our acceptance of His offer and compliance with His terms (Ps. 50:5, Jer. 50:5)
and we are required to be "mindful always of His covenant" (1 Chron. 16:15) and to
"keep His covenant" (Ps. 25:10)—for a fuller discussion of this see the March and
April articles on "Reconciliation".
The binding of the scarlet cord in her window was for the purpose of identifications,
so that when Israel made their attack upon Jericho they might know which was her
house, and spare it. It must be borne in mind that when the spies gave her those
instructions they knew not that the Lord was going to work a miracle, and cause the
walls of the city to fall down without any assault upon them by Israel. That was not
revealed unto Joshua until later (Josh. 6:5), illustrating the fact that God’s will is
made known unto us only a step at a time—He sees the end from the beginning
(Acts 15:18), but He does not permit us to do so (John 13:7). That cord was the
"token" for which she had asked (v. 12), and it enabled the army of Israel to
ascertain which was her house—just as the sprinkled blood on the door-posts of the
Hebrews in Egypt caused the angel of death to recognize their houses and pass over
them, when He went forth to slay the firstborn (Ex. 12:13); and just as the 144,000
who are exempted from judgment are "sealed in their foreheads" (Rev. 7:3), their
identifying mark being that of obedience to the Lord (Rev. 14:1-5), for it is
obedience which manifestatively distinguishes the children of God from the children
of the devil.

67. "And it shall be that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the
streets, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless; and whosoever
shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head if any hand be laid
upon him" (v. 19). Thus the terms of the covenant or agreement were precisely
stated and carefully explained to her before they parted. Those of Rahab’s family
who were to be preserved from the common destruction must be inside her house,
separated from the wicked; if they forsook that shelter and mingled with the
heathen inhabitants of Jericho, they would perish with them—as oah and his
family had in the flood, unless they had separated from the ungodly and taken
refuge in the ark. Typically this teaches the imperative necessity of separation from
the world if we would escape from its impending doom, The case of Rahab’s family
remaining secluded in her house as the condition of their preservation is parallel
with Acts 27, where we find that though the angel of God assured Paul "there shall
be no loss of life" (v. 21, yet when the sailors were about to abandon it, he cried,
"except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved" (v. 31), and except Christians
maintain separation from this evil world they cannot escape destruction with it.
"And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath which thou
hast made us sware" (v. 20). Let those who proclaim the grand truth of "the eternal
security of the saints" fail not to give due place unto that "if"—the if not of
uncertainly from the Divine side, but of enforcing responsibility from the human.
Let them carefully ponder the "if" in Romans 8:13 and 11:22; 1 Corinthians 15:2;
Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 3:6, 14. Scripture does not teach a mechanical security,
but one which is obtained through our use of means and avoidance of dangers. The
preservation of Rahab from destruction was conditioned upon her obedience to the
instructions of God’s messengers and her use of the means they specified. First, she
must mention not their business or betray them to their enemies: she must be loyal
to them and promote their interests—a figure of love for the brethren. Second, she
must place the scarlet cord in the window so that her house might be recognized: we
must bear the identifying mark of God’s children. Third, she must abide in her
house: we must maintain separation from the world.
"And she said, According unto your words, so be it": there was no resentment, no
offering of objections. "And she bound the scarlet line in window" (v. 21),
manifesting by her obedience that she was an elect and regenerate soul. Unless you,
my reader, are walking in obedience to God, you have no scriptural warrant to
conclude you are "eternally secure". The reward of her faith and obedience is
revealed in other passages. First, she "perished not with them that believed not"
(Heb. 11:31). Second, she "dwelt in Israel" (Josh. 6:25): from being a citizen of
heathen Jericho, she was given place in the congregation of the Lord. Third, she
became the honored wife of a prince in Judah, the mother of Boaz and one of the
grandmothers of David (Matthew 1:5). Fourth, she was one of the favored
ancestresses of the Savior (Matthew 1). Thus did God do for her exceeding
abundantly above all that she-asked or thought: delivered from awful depths of sin

68. and shame, elevated heights of honor and dignity.
2 The king of Jericho was told, “Look, some of the
Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the
land.”
GILL, "And it was told the king of Jericho, saying,.... Who being alarmed at the
near approach of the Israelites, and knowing their claim to the land of Canaan, and their
design upon it, employed men to watch and observe what passed in the city, and parts
adjacent, and inform him of it; or some persons of themselves, and for their own safety,
and the good of their fellow citizens, gave notice to the king of it:
behold, there came men hither tonight of the children of Israel; who were
known by their habit and language; or at least, being strangers, were suspected to be of
that people, the terror of whom had fallen on all the inhabitants, so that every strange
man they took for an Israelite; from hence it appears, that the spies came to Jericho at
night, that they might not be observed: but with all their precaution they were taken
notice of, and their design suspected, namely:
to search out the country; which were the proper places to attack first, and where
there was the greatest probability of succeeding, as well as to find out the disposition of
the inhabitants, whether fearful or fearless of them.
HE RY 2-5, "When she was examined concerning them, she denied they were in her
house, turned off the officers that had a warrant to search for them with a sham, and so
secured them. No marvel that the king of Jericho sent to enquire after them (Jos_2:2,
Jos_2:3); he had cause to fear when the enemy was at his door, and his fear made him
suspicious and jealous of all strangers. He had reason to demand from Rahab that she
should bring forth the men to be dealt with as spies; but Rahab not only disowned that
she knew them, or knew where they were, but, that no further search might be made for
them in the city, told the pursuers they had gone away again and in all probability might
be overtaken, Jos_2:4, Jos_2:5. Now, (1.) We are sure this was a good work: it is
canonized by the apostle (Jam_2:25), where she is said to be justified by works, and this
is specified, that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way, and she
did it by faith, such a faith as set her above the fear of man, even of the wrath of the king.
She believed, upon the report she had heard of the wonders wrought for Israel, that their

69. God was the only true God, and that therefore their declared design upon Canaan would
undoubtedly take effect and in this faith she sided with them, protected them, and
courted their favour. Had she said, “I believe God is yours and Canaan yours, but I dare
not show you any kindness,” her faith had been dead and inactive, and would not have
justified her. But by this it appeared to be both alive and lively, that she exposed herself
to the utmost peril, even of life, in obedience to her faith. Note, Those only are true
believers that can find in their hearts to venture for God; and those that by faith take the
Lord for their God take his people for their people, and cast in their lot among them.
Those that have God for their refuge and hiding-place must testify their gratitude by
their readiness to shelter his people when there is occasion. Let my outcasts dwell with
thee, Isa_16:3, Isa_16:4. And we must be glad of an opportunity of testifying the
sincerity and zeal of our love to God by hazardous services to his church and kingdom
among men. But, (2.) There is that in it which it is not easy to justify, and yet it must be
justified, or else it could not be so good a work as to justify her.
JAMISO 2-3, "it was told the king — by the sentinels who at such a time of
threatened invasion would be posted on the eastern frontier and whose duty required
them to make a strict report to headquarters of the arrival of all strangers.
K&D 2-6, "When the king of Jericho was informed of the fact that these strange men
had entered the house of Rahab, and suspecting their reason for coming, summoned
Rahab to give them up, she hid them (lit., hid him, i.e., each one of the spies: for this
change from the plural to the singular see Ewald, §219), and said to the king's
messengers: ‫ן‬ ֵⅴ, recte, “It is quite correct, the men came to me, but I do not know where
they were from; and when in the darkness the gate was at the shutting (i.e., ought to be
shut: for this construction, see Gen_15:12), they went out again, I know not whither.
Pursue them quickly, you will certainly overtake them.” The writer then adds this
explanation in Jos_2:6 : she had hidden them upon the roof of her house among stalks
of flax. The expression “to-night” (lit., the night) in Jos_2:2 is more precisely defined in
Jos_2:5, viz., as night was coming on, before the town-gate was shut, after which it
would have been in vain for them to attempt to leave the town. “Stalks of flax,” not
“cotton pods” (Arab., J. D. Mich. ), or “tree-flax, i.e., cotton,” as Thenius explains it, but
flax stalks or stalk-flax, as distinguished from carded flax, in which there is no wood left,
λινοκαλάµη, stipula lini (lxx, Vulg.). Flax stalks, which grow to the height of three or four
feet in Egypt, and attain the thickness of a reed, and would probably be quite as large in
the plain of Jericho, the climate of which resembles that of Egypt, would form a very
good hiding-place for the spies if they were piled up upon the roof to dry in the sun. The
falsehood by which Rahab sought not only to avert all suspicion from herself of any
conspiracy with the Israelitish men who had entered her house, but to prevent any
further search for them in her house, and to frustrate the attempt to arrest them, is not
to be justified as a lie of necessity told for a good purpose, nor, as Grotius maintains, by
the unfounded assertion that, “before the preaching of the gospel, a salutary lie was not
regarded as a fault even by good men.” Nor can it be shown that it was thought
“allowable,” or even “praiseworthy,” simply because the writer mentions the fact without
expressing any subjective opinion, or because, as we learn from what follows (Jos_2:9.),
Rahab was convinced of the truth of the miracles which God had wrought for His people,
and acted in firm faith that the true God would give the land of Canaan to the Israelites,
and that all opposition made to them would be vain, and would be, in fact, rebellion
against the Almighty God himself. For a lie is always a sin. Therefore even if Rahab was

70. not actuated at all by the desire to save herself and her family from destruction, and the
motive from which she acted had its roots in her faith in the living God (Heb_11:31), so
that what she did for the spies, and thereby for the cause of the Lord, was counted to her
for righteousness (“justified by works,” Jam_2:25), yet the course which she adopted
was a sin of weakness, which was forgiven her in mercy because of her faith.
(Note: Calvin's estimate is also a correct one: “It has often happened, that even
when good men have endeavoured to keep a straight course, they have turned aside
into circuitous paths. Rahab acted wrongly when she told a lie and said that the spies
had gone; and the action was acceptable to God only because the evil that was mixed
with the good was not imputed to her. Yet, although God wished the spies to be
delivered, He did not sanction their being protected by a lie.” Augustine also
pronounces the same opinion concerning Rahab as that which he expressed
concerning the Hebrew midwives (see the comm. on Exo_1:21).)
CALVI , "2.And it was told the king, etc. It is probable that watchmen had been
appointed to take notice of suspicious strangers, as is wont to be done in doubtful
emergencies, or during an apprehension of war. The Israelites were nigh at hand;
they had openly declared to the Edomites and Moabites that they were seeking a
settlement in the land of Canaan; they were formidable for their number; they had
already made a large conquest after slaying two neighboring kings; and as we shall
shortly perceive, their famous passage of the Red Sea had been noised abroad. It
would therefore have argued extreme supineness in such manifest danger to allow
any strangers whatever to pass freely through the city of Jericho, situated as it was
on the frontiers.
It is not wonderful, therefore, that men who were unknown and who appeared from
many circumstances to have come with a hostile intention, were denounced to the
king. At the same time, however, we may infer that they were supernaturally
blinded in not guarding their gates more carefully; for with the use of moderate
diligence the messengers after they had once entered might easily have been
detained. ay, a search ought forthwith to have been instituted, and thus they would
to a certainty have been caught. The citizens of Jericho were in such trepidation and
so struck with judicial amazement, that they acted in everything without method or
counsel. Meanwhile the two messengers were reduced to such extremities that they
seemed on the eve of being delivered up to punishment. The king sends for them;
they are lurking in the house; their life hangs upon the tongue of a woman, just as if
it were hanging by a thread. Some have thought that there was in this a punishment
of the distrust of Joshua, who ought to have boldly passed the Jordan, trusting to
the divine guidance. But the result would rather lead us to conclude differently, that
God by rescuing the messengers from extreme danger gave new courage to the
people; for in that manifestation of his power he plainly showed that he was
watching over their safety, and providing for their happy entrance into the
promised land.
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came
men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country.

71. Ver. 2. And it was told the king of Jericho.] Kings have long ears; their ωτακουσται,
informers and intelligencers, are in all places, but especially when Hannibal est ad
portas, the enemy is at hand, as now he was.
To search out the country.] As we have cause to conceive. Optimus in dubiis agur
timor.
WHEDO , "Verse 2
2. It was told the king — The chief of each great city, and even of each petty clan, is
in the Old Testament dignified by the appellation of king. At this time of alarm,
when the invading foe was only a few miles off, a shrewd king would naturally give
orders to watch closely every suspicious-looking stranger.
There came men… to search out the country — The peculiar Hebrew physiognomy
of the two spies, and perhaps, also, their entering the eastern gate, were strong
grounds of suspicion.
CO STABLE, "Verses 2-6
Rahab was a woman of faith in Yahweh (cf. Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25).
Apparently what she had heard about the God of Israel led her to place her trust in
Him ( Joshua 2:9-12). The protection of one"s houseguests was very important in
the ancient Orient (cf. Genesis 19:8; Judges 19:20-24). This cultural pressure
fortified her faith and doubtless encouraged her to hide the spies. Rahab should not
have told a lie, however.
"To excuse Rahab for indulging in a common practice is to condone what God
condemns." [ ote: Donald K. Campbell, o Time for eutrality, p19. See also R.
Kent Hughes, Living on the Cutting Edge, p37; and Irving L. Jensen, Joshua: Rest-
Land Won, p38.]
Though she had come to faith in Yahweh her moral life had not yet undergone
radical change.
"Having been born and brought up among the depraved Canaanites, she had
probably never been taught the evil of lying, and least of all where an apparently
good end was to be answered by it." [ ote: Bush, p34.]
". . . a lie is always a sin. Therefore even if Rahab was not actuated at all by the
desire to save herself and her family from destruction, and the motive from which
she acted had its roots in her faith in the living God (Heb. xi31), so that what she did
for the spies, and thereby for the cause of the Lord, was counted to her for
righteousness ("justified by works," James ii25), yet the course which she adopted
was a sin of weakness, which was forgiven her in mercy because of her faith." [ ote:
Keil and Delitzsch, p35.]
"It has often happened, that even when good men have endeavored to keep a

72. straight course, they have turned aside into circuitous paths. Rahab acted wrongly
when she told a lie and said that the spies had gone; and the action was acceptable
to God only because the evil that was mixed with the good was not imputed to her.
Yet, although God wished the spies to be delivered, He did not sanction their being
protected by a lie." [ ote: John Calvin, quoted by idem, p35.]
Lying is a more serious sin in some circumstances than in others, but it is always a
sin ( Exodus 20:16; Leviticus 19:11; Deuteronomy 5:20).
"For one to lie in this manner is for one to assume that he knows the outcome of a
situation which, in fact, he does not. God has control of every situation and
therefore it might well be the will of God that the spies should die. It is the job of the
believer to represent the truth and allow the Lord to care for that situation." [ ote:
Davis and Whitcomb, p35. For an explanation of Rahab"s lie as legitimate, see Jim
West, "Rahab"s Justifiable Lie," Christianity and Civilization2 (Winter1983):66-
74.]
3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to
Rahab: “Bring out the men who came to you and
entered your house, because they have come to
spy out the whole land.”
CLARKE, "The king of Jericho sent unto Rahab - This appears to be a proof of
the preceding opinion: had she been a prostitute or a person of ill fame he could at once
have sent officers to have seized the persons lodged with her as vagabonds; but if she
kept a house of entertainment, the persons under her roof were sacred, according to the
universal custom of the Asiatics, and could not be molested on any trifling grounds. A
guest or a friend is sacred in whatever house he may be received, in every part of the east
to the present day.
GILL, "And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab,.... Not merely because she kept
a public house, or being a prostitute had often strangers in it, and so conjectured that the
men he had notice of might be there; but he sent upon certain information that they
were seen to go in there, as it follows:

73. saying, bring forth the men that are come to thee; not to commit lewdness with
her, though this is the sense some Jewish commentators give; but this neither agrees
with the character of the men Joshua had chosen for this purpose, nor answers any end
of the king to suggest; nor can it be thought that Rahab would so openly and freely own
this, as in Jos_2:4, but what is meant by the phrase is explained in the following clause:
which are entered into thine house: in order to lodge there that night:
for they be come to search out all the country; so it was suspected, nor was the
suspicion groundless.
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:3 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth
the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come
to search out all the country.
Ver. 3. For they be come to search out all the country.] "To see the nakedness of the
land," as Genesis 42:9. {See Trapp on "Joshua 2:2"}
WHEDO , "Verse 3
3. Sent unto Rahab — The spies had been traced to the harlot’s house, and possibly
Rahab had also, by open avowal of her belief in the approaching triumph of the
Hebrews, already drawn suspicion on herself.
4 But the woman had taken the two men and
hidden them. She said, “Yes, the men came to me,
but I did not know where they had come from.
BAR ES, "I wist not whence they were - Rahab acted as she did from the belief
in God’s declared word, and conviction that resistance to His will would be both vain
and wicked Jos_2:9-11. Thus, she manifested a faith both sound and practical, and is
praised accordingly Heb_11:31; Jam_2:25. The falsehood to which she had recourse may
be excused by the pressure of circumstances and by her own antecedents, but cannot be

74. defended.
CLARKE, "And hid them - Probably she secreted them for the time being in some
private corner, till she had the opportunity of concealing them on the house-top in the
manner mentioned Jos_2:6.
GILL, "And the woman took the two men,.... Or "she had taken" them (z) before
the messengers came, upon a rumour she understood was gone abroad, that she had got
Israelitish spies in her house, and so might expect to be visited and searched by the
king's officers, and therefore took this precaution:
and hid them; the Hebrew word is singular, "him" (a): hence the Jews, who take these
two spies to be Caleb and Phinehas, say, that only Caleb was hid, and Phinehas, though
he was before them, was not seen, being an angel, Mal_2:7; but the sense is, that she hid
each of them, and very probably singly and apart, that if one was found, the other might
escape, as Ben Gersom observes; and Abarbinel is of opinion that she hid them twice,
now in the middle of her house, one in one place, and the other in another, for the
reason before given, and after this hid them in the roof of her house, as afterwards
related:
and said thus, there came men unto me; that is, into her house, this she owned:
but I wist not whence they were; of what country they were, whether Israelites or
not; which whether she knew or not is not certain; it is probable she did, and told an
untruth, as she also did in Jos_2:5.
JAMISO , "the woman took the two men, and hid them — literally, “him,”
that is, each of them in separate places, of course previous to the appearance of the royal
messengers and in anticipation of a speedy search after her guests. According to Eastern
manners, which pay an almost superstitious respect to a woman’s apartment, the royal
messengers did not demand admittance to search but asked her to bring the foreigners
out.
CALVI , "4.And the woman took the two men, etc. We may presume that before
Rahab was ordered to bring them forth the rumor of their arrival had been spread,
and that thus some little time had been given for concealing them. (34) And indeed
on receiving the king’s command, had not measures for concealment been well
taken, there would have been no room for denial; much less would she have dared
to lie so coolly. But after she had thus hidden her guests, as the search would have
been difficult, she comes boldly forward and escapes by a crafty answer.
ow, the questions which here arise are, first, Was treachery to her country
excusable? Secondly, Could her lie be free from fault? We know that the love of our
country, which is as it were our common mother, has been implanted in us by

75. nature. When, therefore, Rahab knew that the object intended was the overthrow of
the city in which she had been born and brought up, it seems a detestable act of
inhumanity to give her aid and counsel to the spies. It is a puerile evasion to say,
that they were not yet avowed enemies, inasmuch as war had not been declared;
since it is plain enough that they had conspired the destruction of her fellow-
citizens. (35) It was therefore only the knowledge communicated to her mind by God
which exempted her from fault, as having been set free from the common rule. Her
faith is commended by two Apostles, who at the same time declare, (Hebrews 11:31;
James 2:25,) that the service which she rendered to the spies was acceptable to God.
It is not wonderful, then, that when the Lord condescended to transfer a foreign
female to his people, and to engraft her into the body of the Church, he separated
her from a profane and accursed nation. Therefore, although she had been bound to
her countrymen up to that very day, yet when she was adopted into the body of the
Church, her new condition was a kind of manumission from the common law by
which citizens are bound toward each other. In short, in order to pass by faith to a
new people, she behooved to renounce her countrymen. And as in this she only
acquiesced in the judgment of God, there was no criminality in abandoning them.
(36)
As to the falsehood, we must admit that though it was done for a good purpose, it
was not free from fault. For those who hold what is called a dutiful lie (37) to be
altogether excusable, do not sufficiently consider how precious truth is in the sight
of God. Therefore, although our purpose, be to assist our brethren, to consult for
their safety and relieve them, it never can be lawful to lie, because that cannot be
right which is contrary to the nature of God. And God is truth. And still the act of
Rahab is not devoid of the praise of virtue, although it was not spotlessly pure. For
it often happens that while the saints study to hold the right path, they deviate into
circuitous courses.
Rebecca (Genesis 27:0. (38)) in procuring the blessing to her son Jacob, follows the
prediction. In obedience of this description a pious and praiseworthy zeal is
perceived. But it cannot be doubted that in substituting her son Jacob in the place of
Esau, she deviated from the path of duty. The crafty proceeding, therefore, so far
taints an act which was laudable in itself. And yet the particular fault does not
wholly deprive the deed of the merit of holy zeal; for by the kindness of God the
fault is suppressed and not taken into account. Rahab also does wrong when she
falsely declares that the messengers were gone, and yet the principal action was
agreeable to God, because the bad mixed up with the good was not imputed. On the
whole, it was the will of God that the spies should be delivered, but he did not
approve of saving their life by falsehood.
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said
thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they [were]:
Ver. 4. And the woman took the two men, and hid them.] This was an act of her

76. praiseworthy faith. See Hebrews 11:31, where it is honourably mentioned, but
nothing is said of the lie she told. God layeth the finger of mercy on the scars of our
sins; as that painter in the story.
But I wist not whence they were.] This was no better than an officious lie: yea, four
lies she here uttereth together in a breath, - as Jacob also did three, [Genesis 27:19-
24] - neither can she be excused. That was a worthy speech of a good woman on the
rack, as Jerome relateth it, on ideo negare volo ne peream: sed ideo mentiri nolo,
ne peccem. But Rahab was yet but a new convert.
BE SO , "Joshua 2:4. And the woman — Or, But the woman; had taken and hid
them — Before the messengers came from the king; as soon as she understood from
her neighbours that there was a suspicion of the matter, and guessed that search
would be made. And this is justly mentioned as a great and generous act of faith,
(Hebrews 11:31,) for she apparently ventured her life upon a steadfast persuasion of
the truth of God’s word and promise given to the Israelites. Whence they were —
Her answer, contained in these and the following words, was false, and therefore
unquestionably sinful; though her intention was good therein. But it is very
probable she, being a heathen, might think that an officious lie was not unlawful.
WHEDO , "4. Hid them — Literally, hid him. Hebrew usage shows many such
sudden transitions from plural to singular. Perhaps we may see in this instance an
intimation of the haste with which she concealed the men, hiding one of them herself
with the flax (Joshua 2:6) and leaving the other to cover himself. Some think she
had taken the precaution to conceal the men before the king’s messengers arrived,
and Joshua 2:6 seems to favor the supposition.
I wist not whence they were — Better, I knew not, for the verb wist is obsolete.
Rahab could not safely deny that the men had entered her house, for other eyes than
hers had seen them; but it is difficult to believe that she knew not whence they were.
She may not, however, have had positive knowledge that they were spies.
PULPIT, "And the woman took the two men. The majority of commentators are of
opinion that here, as in Joshua 2:1, we must render by the pluperfect. For, as Calvin
remarks, Rahab would hardly have dared to lie so coolly had she not previously
taken precautions to conceal her guests. And therefore she must have told a twofold
falsehood. She must have discovered, or been made acquainted with, their errand,
and therefore have "known whence they were," in addition to her assertion that she
did not know where they were now. And hid them. The original is remarkable and
very vivid. And hid him, i.e; each one in a separate place. o doubt the detail comes
from an eyewitness, so that if the Book of Joshua he not a contemporary work, the
writer must have had access to some contemporary document.

77. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate,
they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go
after them quickly. You may catch up with them.”
CLARKE, "When it was dark - So it appears that it was after night that the king of
Jericho sent to Rahab, ordering her to produce the persons who lodged with her. The
season itself was friendly to the whole plot: had these transactions taken place in
daylight, it is scarcely possible that the spies could have escaped. But this is no excuse
for the woman’s prevarication, for God could have saved his messengers independently
of her falsity. God never says to any, Do evil that good may come of it. See at the end of
the chapter, Jos_2:24 (note).
GILL, "And it came to pass, about the time of the shutting of the gate,.... Of
the city, which was done every night, and at a certain time:
when it was dark; the sun set, and night come on:
that the men went out; out of her house, and out of the city too, as she said, though it
was a downright lie, as well as what follows:
whither the men went I wot not; though she knew they were not gone, but were
now in her house; she might not scruple telling a lie, being brought up a Heathen, and
being done with a design to save the lives of persons that belonged to a people she was
persuaded were the people of God, and to whom he had given the land; though her lies
are not to be justified; evil is not to be done that good may come; nor are men to tell lies
one to another upon any account; but these sins, with others, the Lord forgave her:
pursue after them quickly, and ye shall overtake them; this she encouraged
them to do, to get rid of them the sooner, and to remove all suspicion of her having any
respect for them, and of b
JAMISO , "the time of shutting of the gates — The gates of all Oriental cities
are closed at sunset, after which there is no possibility either of admission or egress.
the men went out — This was a palpable deception. But, as lying is a common vice
among heathen people, Rahab was probably unconscious of its moral guilt, especially as
she resorted to it as a means for screening her guests; and she might deem herself bound
to do it by the laws of Eastern hospitality, which make it a point of honor to preserve the

78. greatest enemy, if he has once eaten one’s salt. Judged by the divine law, her answer was
a sinful expedient; but her infirmity being united with faith, she was graciously
pardoned and her service accepted (Jam_2:25).
WHEDO , "The men went out — This statement was a wilful falsehood, and
cannot be justified by saying that oriental hospitality required a person to utter
falsehood if necessary to defend a guest. It may, indeed, relieve the case somewhat to
urge that before the Gospel strict truth, in Jew or heathen, was a virtue utterly
unknown; but it is altogether superfluous to attempt either to apologize for Rahab’s
previous harlotry or to justify her falsehoods. We must distinguish, however,
between her vices and her virtues. The sacred writers record her vices without a
word of comment or apology. Even with this alloy, however, they attest the
justifying power of her faith. The epistle to the Hebrews (Hebrews 11:31) extols her
faith in Israel’s God, and James (James 2:25) makes mention of her praiseworthy
works of hospitality. The one declares that her faith saved her from perishing with
the unbelieving inhabitants of Jericho; the other shows that her faith was not
without its appropriate fruits.] {Verse 11, however, shows that Rahab had long
entertained a sincere faith in Jehovah as the true God, and her conduct toward the
spies was the imperfect manifestation of that faith which resulted in her true
incorporation into Israel, and obtaining a place in the genealogy of the Messiah.
Matthew 1:5. Her falsehood on the present occasion was far less condemning than
that of Abraham on two occasions. Genesis 12:13; Genesis 20:2. It was also a
stratagem of war, which even our Christian civilization has hardly attained the
virtue of disusing.}
COKE, "Ver. 5. And—about the time of shutting of the gate— Rahab's house was
evidently nigh to one of the gates of Jericho: she feigned, therefore, that, before the
gate was shut, those whom they took for spies had gone out, and so had left her
house but a very short time before. The spies arrived at the close of the day, and
Rahab asserts that they went out in the dusk, just at the shutting of the gate.
Whither the men went, I wot not: pursue after them quickly, for ye shall overtake
them— The argument was plausible: if the two men who came to Rahab, and who,
as she said, had gone out of the city at the shutting of the gate, were emissaries from
the camp of Israel, they had only to follow them with diligence, and overtake them
before they had repassed the Jordan: but Rahab most certainly told a falsehood;
and it cannot be said that this lie was merely officious, since she uttered it to the
king's people, and in prejudice to the safety of her country: but the idea of saving
the life of two innocent persons evidently prevailed in her mind, and she thought she
might harmlessly employ a falsehood to effect her purpose. Some of the ancient
fathers of the church have thought the same; and St. Augustin, though very rigid
upon the subject, granted it to be a very difficult question. See cap. 15 ad
Consentinum. But this is carrying matters certainly to an excess. The fathers before
St. Augustin, and all the Jewish doctors, condemn the practice altogether. It may,
indeed, be said, in palliation of Rahab's crime, that if she had heard of what had

79. happened to Pharaoh, Sihon, and Og, the same events could not be unknown to the
king of Jericho; so that it was as natural for her to be afraid, and to provide for her
own security, as for him to defend himself courageously, or perish in the attempt.
For we apprehend, that to reject peace offered by a formidable conqueror, at the
hazard of being massacred, for the love of a king who might very probably have
been only a petty tyrant, and to continue attached to a people whom fear had
disabled from defending themselves; we apprehend, I say, that to reject peace under
such circumstances, and even supposing that the king of Jericho lawfully swayed the
sceptre, would have been an instance of love for one's country, or rather for truth,
which there was hardly room to expect from a Canaanitish woman; much less from
a hostess so young as Rahab must have been, since she brought forth Boaz above
thirty years after, as Junius has fully proved, in Jacob. She did, upon the whole,
what might be expected from her in such a case, an honest action, and conformable
to the will of God, in joining the party of those whom His powerful arm supported,
and in relinquishing the interests of a nation, whom so many reasons united to
render worthy of an utter destruction. Still more fully to justify the reception which
Rahab gave to the Israelitish spies, and the asylum she afforded, two things may
reasonably be supposed; 1. That God had revealed to this woman the wonders he
had wrought in favour of the children of Israel, and his design of giving them the
land of Canaan. By faith, we read, the harlot Rahab perished not; Hebrews 11:31.
This faith seems to suppose something more than persuasion founded on common
report; it supposes some divine warning, a Revelation 2. It is natural to suppose,
that God had summoned the king and people of Jericho to submit themselves to the
Israelites on pain of utter destruction; and that, while Rahab's fellow-citizens
refused to comply with that summons, this woman, more submissive to the divine
commands, took part with the Israelites, and asked in consequence of her option.
The words of St. Paul favour this conjecture. Instead of saying, according to our
version, by faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, τοις
απιστοις, he says, agreeably to the marginal rendering, perished not with them who
were disobedient, τοις απειθησασι ; i.e. disobedient to the orders which God had
given them to submit to the Israelites. There was nothing, therefore, unfaithful,
nothing criminal, in the asylum which Rahab afforded the spies; nothing which can
be deemed treasonable in the care she took to screen them from the knowledge and
search of the officers of the king of Jericho. Impressed with sentiments of true faith
in the commands of God, that faith, that confidence in his word, was the principle of
her whole conduct in this emergency; though we acknowledge, that she sinned by
having recourse to a lie. Again: Rahab testified her faith by her obedience, and for
this only is she celebrated in Scripture. Let those who find themselves in like
circumstances imitate her in that wherein she is imitable, her humble submission to
orders undoubtedly issued by God, and her eagerness to comply therewith; to them
also will then belong that fine eulogium of St. James: Was not Rahab justified by
works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another
way?—As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith, without works, is dead also.
James 2:25-26. See Waterland's Scripture vindicated, part 2: p. 52.
PULPIT, "I wot not. Much has Been said about Rahab's falsehood which is little to

80. the point. The sacred historian simply narrates the fact, and makes no comment
whatever upon it. But the fact that Rahab afterwards became the wife of Salmon, a
prince of the tribe of Judah, as the genealogy in St. Matthew informs us, shows that
neither her falsehood nor her mode of life excited much disapprobation among the
Jews. or need this surprise us. There is no need, with Keil, to repudiate
energetically the assertion of Hauff that the author of this Book regarded Rahab's
deception as not only allowable, but praiseworthy, any more than we need scruple to
confess that Jael's base treachery met with the approval of Deborah and Barak. The
tone of feeling in Jewish society in Rahab's day must have differed enormously in
many respects from what obtains in our own time, in the light of the dispensation of
the Spirit. We may take, as an instance of what that tone of feeling was, even before
Israel had been corrupted by their sojourn in Egypt, the narrative in Genesis 38:1-
30. And we may be sure that in a Phoenician city the tone was many degrees lower
still. Rahab, therefore, was no doubt absolutely ignorant that there was any sin,
either in her mode of living or in the lie she told to save the men's lives. She acted
from a twofold motive, and her course, both of thought and action, was a most
surprising instance of faith and insight, in one brought up as she had been. She not
only followed an instinct of humanity, at a time when human life was thought of
little value, in preserving the lives of the men who had sought shelter under her roof,
but she could discern in the wonderful successes of Israel the hand of a higher
power than that of the gods whom she had been brought up to worship. In her
subsequent conduct she betrayed an affection for her kindred somewhat uncommon
in persons situated similarly to herself. And we may be sure, from the fact that she
was chosen to be a "mother in Israel," that she forsook the sins of her country and
her education as soon as she came within the range of a higher light (see Hebrews
11:31 and James 2:25). From what has been said we may learn that, though Rahab's
faith was "as a grain of mustard seed," her conduct showed that she possessed it;
and in hers, as in every case, to walk by the light she had was a sure prelude to the
possession of more. And as regards her departure from truth here, it must be
shown, before she can be blamed, that she had any idea that truthfulness was a
duty. Such a duty does not appear to have been clearly recognised until He who was
Himself the truth came among men. "However the guilt of Rahab's falsehood may
be extenuated, it seems best to admit nothing which may tend to explain it away. We
are sure that God discriminated between what was good in her conduct and what
was bad; rewarding the former, and pardoning the latter. Her views of the Divine
law must have been exceedingly dim and contracted. A similar falsehood, told by
those who enjoy the light of revelation, however laudable the motive, would of
course deserve a much heavier censure" (Matthew Henry). So also Calvin in loc;
"Vitium virtuti admistum non imputatur."
6 (But she had taken them up to the roof and

81. hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid
out on the roof.)
BAR ES, "Stalks of flax - literally, “the carded fibres of the tree.” The flax in
Palestine grew to more than three feet in height, with a stalk as thick as a cane. It was
probably with the flax stalks, recently cut (compare Exo_9:31, note) and laid out on the
house roof to dry, that Rahab hid the spies.
CLARKE, "Hid then with the stalks of flax - It is a matter of little consequence
whether we translate ‫העיץ‬ ‫פסתי‬ pistey haets stalks of flax, or stalks of hemp: the word ‫עץ‬
ets, which signifies wood, serves to show that whether it was hemp or flax, it was in its
rough, unmanufactured state; and as this was about the season, viz., the end of March or
the beginning of April, in which the flax is ripe in that country, consequently Rahab’s
flax might have been recently pulled, and was now drying on the roof of her house. The
reader may find some useful remarks upon this subject in Harmer’s Observations, vol.
iv., p. 97, etc.
Upon the roof - We have already seen that all the houses in the east were made flat-
roofed; for which a law is given Deu_22:8. On these flat roofs the Asiatics to this day
walk, converse, and oftentimes even sleep and pass the night. It is probable that this
hiding was after that referred to in the fourth verse.
GILL, "But she had brought them up to the roof of the house,.... Before the
messengers came; though Abarbinel thinks it was after they were gone, when she took
them from the place of their concealment, and had them to the roof of the house, where
she thought they would be safe and secure, should the messengers return, or others
come in search of them, who would not, as she imagined, look for them there:
and hid them with the stalks of flax; that is, under them, or "in flax of wood", or "a
tree" (b); which may with as much propriety, or more, be called a tree than hyssop, 1Ki_
4:33; as it is in the Misnah (c). Moreover, there was a sort of flax which grew in the
upper part of Egypt towards Arabia, as Pliny says (d), which they called "xylon", or
wood, of which were made "lina xylina": though the words may be rightly transposed, as
by as, "stalks of flax", which are large and strong before the flax is stripped or beaten off
of them; the Targum renders it bundles of flax, or handfuls and sheaves of them, as they
were when cut down and gathered:
which she had laid in order upon the roof; to be dried, as Kimchi observes; and
Pliny (e) speaks of flax being bound up in bundles, and hung up and dried in the sun;
which was done that it might be more easily stripped and beaten off; and the roofs of
houses in those countries being flat, were very fit for such a purpose; See Gill on Deu_

82. 22:8; and these being now laid there were very suitable and convenient to conceal the
men under them. This seems to be in favour of Rahab, as being a virtuous and
industrious woman; see Pro_31:13.
JAMISO , "she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid
them with the stalks of flax — Flax, with other vegetable productions, is at a certain
season spread out on the flat roofs of Eastern houses to be dried in the sun; and, after
lying awhile, it is piled up in numerous little stacks, which, from the luxuriant growth of
the flax, rise to a height of three or four feet. Behind some of these stacks Rahab
concealed the spies.
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:6 But she had brought them up to the roof of the house, and hid
them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
Ver. 6. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house.] (a) Which was built
flat in those parts, as they are also at this day in Italy.
Which she had laid in order upon the roof.] That it might be fully dried, as [ ahum
1:10] the wicked are, that they may burn the better: like grapes, they ripen in the
sunshine, for the winepress of God’s wrath. [Revelation 14:19]
BE SO , "Verse 6-7
Joshua 2:6-7. Up to the roof — In those countries the roofs of the houses were made
quite flat, and it is probable it might be customary to lay the stalks of flax upon
them that they might be dried by the heat of the sun. Fords — Or, passages; that is,
the places where people used to pass over Jordan, whether by boats or bridges. The
gate — Of the city, to prevent the escape of the spies, if peradventure Rahab was
mistaken, and they yet lurked therein.
WHEDO , "6. She had brought them up to the roof of the house — This verse more
fully explains Joshua 2:4, by detailing the place and manner of her concealing the
spies. Eastern houses have flat roofs, surrounded with a parapet to prevent falling
off. Deuteronomy 28:8. Here the family often sleep, sit, walk, and store such articles
as will not be damaged by the exposure. Sometimes the roof is shaded by means of
an awning supported by posts. See note on Acts 10:9.
Stalks of flax — Hebrews flax of the tree; that is, flax in the tree or stalk. Some
render these words stalks or pods of cotton, but without sufficient authority. Flax is
said to grow in Egypt to a great size, and its stalks attain the thickness of a cane, and
so it doubtless did in the rich plain of Jericho. To dry stalks of such thickness much
exposure to the sun would be necessary, and they were laid out in such abundance
on Rahab’s house that the two men could be easily concealed among them.

83. COKE, "Ver. 6. But she had brought them up to the roof of the house— We have
elsewhere remarked in what manner the roofs of houses in this country were
constructed. See Deuteronomy 22:8. They were flat, or rather terraces, on which
men might either lie or walk.
And hid them, &c.— All this had passed before the arrival of the king of Jericho's
officers, and upon a report of the search that they were ordered to make.
Stalks of flax— Hemp-wood,—line-stalks. See Ulpian. Digest. lib. 32: cap. 55 sect. 5.
PULPIT, "But she had brought them up. Literally, and she caused them to ascend;
but our version has very properly (see Joshua 2:4) given the preterite the pluperfect
sense here. "Two strangers, Israelites, spies, have a safe harbour provided them,
even amongst their enemies, against the proclamation of a king." "Where cannot
the God of heaven either find or raise up friends to His own causes and servants?"
(Bp. Hall) To the roof of the house. The flat roofs of Oriental, and even of Greek
and Italian houses, are used for all kinds of purposes, especially for drying corn and
other things for domestic use (see 1 Samuel 9:25, 1 Samuel 9:26; 2 Samuel 11:2; 2
Samuel 16:22; 2 Kings 23:12. Also Acts 10:9, where the roof is used as a place of
retirement and repose). Stalks of flax. Literally, flax of the tree. The word translated
flax either of the raw material or of the linen made from it. Here it must mean flax
as it came cut from the field; that is, as our version translates it, the stalks of flax (
λινοκαλάµη, LXX), which grows in Egypt to a height of three feet, and may be
presumed to have attained a height not much less at Jericho. The word ‫ד‬ ַ‫ָר‬‫ע‬ which
signifies to lay in a row, and is used of the wood on the altar in Genesis 22:9, and of
the shew bread in Le Genesis 24:6, confirms this view. It is obvious that this would
have formed a most sufficient hiding place for the fugitives. "Either faith or
friendship are not tried but in extremities. To show countenance to the messengers
of God while the publique face of the State smiles upon them, is but a courtesie of
course; but to hide our own lives in theirs when they are persecuted is an act which
looks for a reward" (Bp. Hall).
7 So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the
road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as
soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was
shut.

84. BAR ES, "The sense is, that “they pursued along the way which leads to Jordan and
across the fords;” probably those described in Jdg_3:28.
GILL, "And the men pursued after them,.... As they thought:
the way to Jordan; on the other side of which the people of Israel lay encamped, to
which they supposed, according to Rahab's account, these two men directed their
course:
unto the fords; the fords of Jordan, the passages through it; for in some places, and at
some times, it was fordable; which accounts for the way in which these spies could get
over Jordan, see Gen_32:10; it was most reasonable to conclude they would return the
same way; and so far the king's messengers went, but further they did not choose to go,
because it would be to no purpose, and they might expose themselves to the camp of
Israel, which lay on the other side:
and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the
gate; that is, either as soon as the king's messengers were gone out of Rahab's house,
either the spies, or rather the men of the house, Rahab's servants, shut the door of it to
prevent their return, or others coming in; or rather, when they were got out of the city,
the watchmen of the city, the porters of the city gates, shut them, that if they were not
got out of the city, to prevent their escape, or however to keep out others from entering,
that might be on some such design, or worse.
JAMISO , "the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords
— That river is crossed at several well-known fords. The first and second immediately
below the sea of Galilee; the third and fourth immediately above and below the pilgrims’
bathing-place, opposite Jericho.
as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the
gate — This precaution was to ensure the capture of the spies, should they have been
lurking in the city.
K&D, "Upon this declaration on the part of the woman, the king's messengers (“the
men”) pursued the spies by the road to the Jordan which leads across the fords. Both the
circumstances themselves and the usage of the language require that we should interpret
the words in this way; for ‫ּות‬‫ר‬ ְ ְ‫ע‬ ַ ַ‫ה‬ ‫ל‬ ַ‫ע‬ cannot mean “as far as the fords,” and it is very
improbable that the officers should have gone across the fords. If they did not succeed in
overtaking the spies and apprehending them before they reached the fords, they
certainly could not hope to do this on the other side of the river in the neighbourhood of
the Israelitish camp. By “the fords” with the article we are to understand the ford near to
Jericho which was generally used at that time (Jdg_3:22; 2Sa_19:16.); but whether this
was the one which is commonly used now at the mouth of Wady Shaib, almost in a
straight line to the east of Jericho, or the more southerly one, el Helu, above the mouth
of Wady Hesban (Rob. Pal. ii. p. 254), to the south of the bathing-place of Christian

85. pilgrims, or el Meshra (Lynch, p. 155), or el Mocktaa (Seetzen, ii. p. 320), it is
impossible to determine. (On these and other fords near Beisan, and as far up as the Sea
of Galilee, see Rob. ii. p. 259, and Ritter Erdk. xv. pp. 549ff.) After the king's messengers
had left the town, they shut the gate to prevent the spies from escaping, in case they
should be still in the town. ‫ר‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ ֲ‫א‬ ַⅴ ‫י‬ ֵ‫ר‬ ֲ‫ה‬ፍ for ‫ר‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ ֲ‫א‬ ‫י‬ ֵ‫ר‬ ֲ‫ה‬ፍ is uncommon, but it is analogous to
‫ר‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ ֲ‫א‬ ‫ן‬ ֶ‫י־כ‬ ֵ‫ר‬ ֲ‫ח‬ፍ in Gen_6:4.
CALVI , "7.And the men pursued, etc. Their great credulity shows that God had
blinded them. Although Rahab had gained much by deluding them, a new course of
anxiety intervenes; for the gates being shut, the city like a prison excluded the hope
of escape. They were therefore again aroused by a serious trial to call upon God.
For seeing that this history was written on their report, it is impossible they could
have been ignorant of what was then going on, especially as God, for the purpose of
magnifying his grace, purposely exposed them to a succession of dangers. And now
when they were informed that search was made for them, we infer from the fact of
their being still awake, that they were in anxiety and alarm. Their trepidation must
have been in no small degree increased when it was told them that their exit was
precluded.
It appears, however, that Rahab was not at all dismayed, since she bargains with so
much presence of mind, and so calmly, for her own safety and that of her family.
And in this composure and firmness her faith, which is elsewhere commended,
appears conspicuous. For on human principles she never would have braved the
fury of the king and people, and become a suppliant to guests half dead with terror.
Many, indeed, think there is something ridiculous in the eulogium bestowed upon
her both by St. James and the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, (James 2:25;
Hebrews 11:31,) when they place her in the catalogue of the faithful. But any one
who will carefully weigh all the circumstances will easily perceive that she was
endowed with a lively faith.
First, If the tree is known by its fruits, we here see no ordinary effects, which are
just so many evidences of faith. Secondly, A principle of piety must have given
origin to her conviction that the neighboring nations were already in a manner
vanquished and laid prostrate, since terror sent from above had filled all minds with
dismay. It is true that in profane writers also we meet with similar expressions,
which God has extorted from them that he might assert his power to rule and turn
the hearts of men in whatever way he pleases. But while these writers prate like
parrots, Rahab declaring in sincerity of heart that God has destined the land for the
children of Israel, because all the inhabitants have fainted away before them, claims
for him a supreme rule over the hearts of men, a rule which the pride of the world
denies.
For although the experience of all times has shown that more armies have fallen or
been routed by sudden and un-looked for terror than by the force and prowess of
the enemy, the impression of this truth has forthwith vanished away, and hence
conquerors have always extolled their own valor, and on any prosperous result

86. gloried in their own exertions and talents for war. They have felt, I admit, that
daring and courage are occasionally bestowed or withheld by some extraneous
cause, and accordingly men confess that in war fortune does much or even reigns
supreme. Hence their common proverb with regard to panic terrors, and their vows
made as well to Pavor (Dread) as to Jupiter Stator. (39) But it never became a
serious and deep-seated impression in their minds, that every man is brave
according as God has inspired him with present courage, or cowardly according as
he has suppressed his daring. Rahab, however, recognizes the operation of a divine
hand in striking the nations of Canaan with dismay, and thus making them as it
were by anticipation pronounce their own doom; and she infers that the terror
which the children of Israel have inspired is a presage of victory, because they fight
under God as their Leader.
In the fact, that while the courage of all had thus melted away, they however
prepared to resist with the obstinacy of despair; we see that when the wicked are
broken and crushed by the hand of God, they are not so subdued as to receive the
yoke, but in their terror and anxiety become incapable of being tamed. Here, too, we
have to observe how in a common fear believers differ from unbelievers, and how
the faith of Rahab displays itself. She herself was afraid like any other of the people;
but when she reflects that she has to do with God, she concludes that her only
remedy is to eschew evil by yielding humbly and placidly, as resistance would be
altogether unavailing. But what is the course taken by all the wretched inhabitants
of the country? Although terror-struck, so far is their perverseness from being
overcome that they stimulate each other to the conflict.
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:7 And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan unto the
fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone out, they shut the
gate.
Ver. 7. And the men pursued.] ot once searching the house. Thus God "maketh the
wisdom of the wise to perish." [Isaiah 29:14] See Matthew 2:8. Herod went not
himself, or sent some assassin to despatch the child Jesus; but sent the wise men to
Bethlehem with charge to search, and bring him word. The Dutch have a proverb,
Where God intendeth to blind any man, he first closeth up his eyes.
WHEDO , "7. The men pursued after them — That is, the men of Jericho pursued,
as they thought, after the spies.
The way to Jordan — The most direct way to the Jordan, the way which they
naturally thought the spies, in their hasty flight, would take.
Unto the fords — Hebrews, the crossing places; certain well-known places of
shallow water where the Jordan might be waded. There is no intimation that the
pursuers crossed the fords. As the plural is used, we infer that there were several
places of this kind near Jericho, and that the pursuers took different routes to
insure the capture of the fugitives.

87. They shut the gate — To prevent the escape of the spies should they still be in the
city, and to secure the city against the ingress of foes by night.
CO STABLE, "Verses 7-14
Assuming the spies had fled back to the Israelite camp, the men of Jericho searched
all along the road from their city to the place where travelers forded the Jordan (
Joshua 2:7), about five miles.
Rahab"s reference to the fear of the Israelites that God had put in the Canaanites"
hearts ( Joshua 2:9-11) shows that the Lord had fulfilled His promise to make the
Israelites" enemies fear them ( Exodus 23:27; Deuteronomy 2:25; Deuteronomy
11:25). This is one of the longest uninterrupted statements by a woman in a biblical
narrative. [ ote: Hess, p88.]
"Yahweh had proved himself more powerful than any other claimants to deity. The
irony of the situation existed in the fact that Israel"s enemies recognized this when
Israel did not." [ ote: Butler, p33.]
"Utterly destroyed" translates the Hebrew herem, a technical term for the practice
of completely destroying the spoils of war as a way of consecrating them to a deity
(cf. Joshua 6:17). [ ote: Madvig, p262.]
"The people who in Rahab"s time most frequently used such houses of prostitution
were the traveling merchants. From them she had repeatedly heard of the
marvelous nation which was approaching from Egypt, and of the God of Israel who
had perfected such striking miracles." [ ote: Abraham Kuyper, Women of the Old
Testament, p69.]
The melting of the heart ( Joshua 2:11) pictures utter despair. We must be careful
not to overestimate Rahab"s confession of faith in this verse. She had come to place
her faith in Yahweh (cf. Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25), but she did not become a
mature believer immediately. o one does.
PULPIT, "Unto the fords. There were several of these fords. One near Jericho (cf,
3:28; 12:5, 12:6; 2 Samuel 17:22, 2 Samuel 17:24; 2 Samuel 19:16, 2 Samuel 19:19, 2
Samuel 19:39); one at Bethsean, now Beisan, leading to Succoth ( 8:4; cf. Genesis
32:22; Genesis 33:17. See Robinson, ' Biblical Researches' 2.497; Ritter, 'Geography
of Palestine'); beside others not mentioned in Scripture. A vivid description of the
crossing the Jordan at the fords near Jericho is to be found in Tristrain's 'Land of
Israel,' p. 520. The ford is almost certainly the one mentioned here, since an hour or
two's ride brought the party to Shittim. These fords were easy to cross save when
the Jordan, as was now the case (Joshua 3:15), overflowed its banks. This may have
been the reason why the pursuers did not cross the fords, but they pursued the spies
to the fords, hoping to find their retreat cut off. This is rendered more probable by
the fact (Joshua 2:22) that the pursuers appear to have continued their search after
leaving the fords.

88. 8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went
up on the roof
GILL, "And before they were laid down,.... Under the stalks of the flax; or rather,
since they are said to be hid in them, before they were fallen asleep, so Kimchi and
Abarbinel:
she came up unto them upon the roof; to acquaint them how things were, and to
converse with them on the following subjects.
JAMISO , "Jos_2:8-21. The covenant between her and them.
she came up unto them upon the roof and said — Rahab’s dialogue is full of
interest, as showing the universal panic and consternation of the Canaanites on the one
hand (Jos_24:11; Deu_2:25), and her strong convictions on the other, founded on a
knowledge of the divine promise, and the stupendous miracles that had opened the way
of the Israelites to the confines of the promised land. She was convinced of the
supremacy of Jehovah, and her earnest stipulations for the preservation of her relatives
amid the perils of the approaching invasion, attest the sincerity and strength of her faith.
K&D 8-9, "Jos_2:8-9
Notwithstanding these precautions, the men escaped. As soon as the officers had left
Rahab's house, she went to the spies, who were concealed upon the roof, before they had
lain down to sleep, which they were probably about to do upon the roof, - a thing of
frequent occurrence in the East in summer time, - and confessed to them all that she
believed and knew, namely, that God had given the land to the Israelites, and that the
dread of them had fallen upon the Canaanites (“us,” in contrast with “you,” the
Israelites, signifies the Canaanites generally, and not merely the inhabitants of Jericho),
and despair had seized upon all the inhabitants of the land. The description of the
despair of the Canaanites (Jos_2:9) is connected, so far as the expressions are
concerned, with Exo_15:15 and Exo_15:16, to show that what Moses and the Israelites
had sung after crossing the Red Sea was now fulfilled, that the Lord had fulfilled His
promise (Exo_23:27 compared with Deu_2:25 and Deu_11:25), and had put fear and
dread upon the Canaanites.

89. TRAPP, "Joshua 2:8 And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon
the roof;
Ver. 8. And before they were laid down,] so., To take their rest, which in this fright
they had little list to. "Sleep on now, take your rest," saith our Saviour by an irony
to his drowsy disciples; q.d., Do so, if you can at least, now, with so many swords
and halberds about your ears. [Mark 14:41]
BE SO , "Verses 8-11
Joshua 2:8-11. Before they were laid down — To sleep, as they intended. She came
up unto them — Having got clear of the officers, to the roof of the house, where they
lay hid. Here she informs them, 1st, That the report of the great things God had
done for them had reached Jericho. ot only that they had had an account of their
late victories, obtained over the Amorites in the neighbouring country, on the other
side the river; but that their miraculous deliverance out of Egypt, and passage
through the Red sea, which had taken place at a great distance, and forty years ago,
were remembered and spoken of afresh in Jericho, to the amazement of every body.
2d, She tells them what impressions the tidings of these things had made upon the
Canaanites; your terror is fallen, upon us, Joshua 2:9. Our hearts did melt, Joshua
2:11. If she kept a public house, that might have given her an opportunity of
understanding the sense of various companies, and of travellers from other parts of
the country; so that they could not have known this any way better than by her
information; and it would greatly encourage Joshua and Israel to hear how their
enemies were dispirited and cast down; especially as this was the accomplishment of
a promise God had made them, that he would lay the fear and dread of them upon
all this land, (Deuteronomy 9:25,) and so it would be an earnest of the
accomplishment of all his other promises to them. 3d, She hereupon makes
profession of her faith in God, and his promise; and perhaps there was not found so
great faith, (all things considered,) no, not in Israel, as in this woman of Canaan.
First, She believes God’s power and dominion over all the world, Joshua 2:11.
Jehovah your God — Whom you worship and call upon, is so far above all gods that
he is the only true God; for he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath, and is
served by all the hosts of both. Secondly, She believes his promise to his people
Israel, Joshua 2:9; I know that the Lord hath given you the land — The king of
Jericho had heard as much as she had of the great things God had done for Israel,
yet he cannot infer from thence that the Lord had given them this land; but resolves
to hold it out against them to the last extremity. For the most powerful means of
conviction will not avail when despite is done to the Spirit of grace, and his
influences are quenched or resisted. But Rahab the harlot, who had only heard of
the wonders God had wrought, speaks with more assurance of the truth of the
promise made to the fathers than all the elders of Israel had done, who were eye-
witnesses of those wonders, many of whom perished through unbelief of this
promise. Blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed: so Rahab did. O
woman, great is thy faith! Let those who ask, “On what principle she could receive

90. into her house the known enemies of her country, conceal them from the searchers,
and dismiss them in safety?” consider this her faith, and the foundation on which it
was built, and they will be at no loss for an answer.
COFFMA , "Verse 8
"And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof; and she
said unto them, I know that Jehovah hath given you the land, and that the fear of
you is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
For we have heard how Jehovah dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when
ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were
beyond the Jordan, unto Sihon, and to Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon
as we heard it, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more spirit in any
man, because of you: for Jehovah your God, he is God in heaven above, and on
earth beneath. ow therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by Jehovah, since I have
dealt kindly with you, that you will also deal kindly with my father's house, and give
me a true token; and that ye will save alive, my father, and my mother, and my
brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and will deliver our lives from
death. And the men said unto her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our
business; and it shall be, when Jehovah giveth us the land, that we will deal kindly
and truly with thee."
This passage is one of the most significant in the Bible. It bears eloquent testimony
to the universality of the knowledge of those great miracles that led to the
deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and of the near-panic that swept over the world in
the wake of those tremendous Acts of God! aturally, unbelieving enemies of God's
Word vent their hatred of a passage like this. Holmes said: " o greater
anachronism can be found than the one here, where a Canaanite heathen is made to
utter a monotheism worthy of Amos."[20] It is not that, however, that so upsets
Holmes; it is the testimony of this woman to the genuine nature of the Red Sea
Miracle! That is what requires unbelieving critics to bring forth every device in
their arsenal to try and get rid of it, but here it is. There is no textual evidence
against this testimony! It is the truth of God. othing but the literal truth of the Red
Sea miracle could have inspired such words as Rahab spoke here.[21] "This pagan
prostitute is the first one to recite saving history in this book!"[22] (See Exodus
15:15-17. Also, see special discussion of the Reed Sea or the Red Sea in Vol. 2 of this
series (Exodus), pp. 177-179.)
"Swear unto me by Jehovah ..." "The words here refer to an unwritten promised
agreement, as distinguished from a written covenant,"[23] but it was of a kind that
both parties accepted as absolutely valid and binding upon them both.
The two spies did attach one condition to their promise, that being, that under no
circumstance would the woman betray their mission (Joshua 2:14). Also, there was
the agreement that the identity of Rahab's house would be indicated by the red
cord.
SIMEO , "Verses 8-14

91. DISCOURSE: 244
RAHAB PROTECTS THE SPIES
Joshua 2:8-14. And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the
roof: and she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and
that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint
because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea
for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the
Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly
destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither
did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your
God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. ow therefore, I pray you,
swear unto me by the Lord, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew
kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: and that ye will save
alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they
have, and deliver our lives from death. And the men answered her, Our life for
yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us
the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.
GOD is pleased to accomplish his promises by the use of means: to neglect the
means therefore is to tempt him, rather than to trust in him; and to expect the end
without using the means is not faith, but presumption. Hence the strongest believers
have always accounted it their duty to exert themselves as much as if success
depended solely on their exertions; whilst, on the other hand, they placed their
hopes in God, as much as if no effort whatever were used by themselves. Joshua had
no doubt respecting his ultimate success in conquering and possessing the land of
Canaan: yet, as every prudent General endeavours to obtain information respecting
the state of any fortified city which he is about to besiege, before he proceeds
actually to invest it, so Joshua felt it his duty to send spies to ascertain the state of
Jericho, before he passed over Jordan to attack it. To the spies themselves the
undertaking was perilous in the extreme: yet they went forth in humble reliance on
their God, and were almost miraculously preserved from falling into the hands of
their enemies. The manner of their preservation is here circumstantially related: it
was effected solely by the good offices of a woman who lived in the city, and to
whom they were providentially directed. Her name was Rahab; and she is
constantly in the Scriptures called an harlot; but whether she was at that time an
harlot, or was a reformed character, we know not: but this is plain, that her mind
was wonderfully overruled by God to screen and protect them. The interposition of
God in this matter seems to have been not unlike to that which fifteen hundred
years afterwards led to the conversion of Cornelius. Cornelius was instructed in a
vision to send for Peter, and was directed where to find him: and at the same time
Peter was instructed in a vision to go to him, notwithstanding he was a Gentile. Thus
the minds of the spies were directed to the only person in the city that would have
afforded them an asylum; and her mind was directed to prefer their safety before
every other consideration whatever. The conduct of Rahab on this occasion is
repeatedly mentioned in the ew Testament, and that too in terms peculiarly

92. honourable to her. We shall find it therefore not unprofitable to consider,
I. The service she rendered—
In speaking upon this part of our subject, we shall notice separately,
1. What she did—
[From the first interview which she had with the spies, she knew the true object of
their mission; and determined to advance it to the utmost of her power. Her first
object therefore was to prevent any discovery: and for this purpose she conducted
them to the roof of her house, and there covered them with stalks of flax. As she had
foreseen, they were traced to her house, and messengers from the king were sent to
apprehend them. She acknowledged that they had been there, but said that they
were gone away but a little before, and, if pursued immediately, would certainly be
taken. Thus she avoided all suspicion of favouring them, and prevented all further
inquiries about them at her house. Having succeeded thus far, she went up to them,
and asked of them an assurance, that they, in return for this kindness, would spare
her and all her family, when they should take the city. To this they bound
themselves and all Israel by a solemn oath; stipulating, however, that the matter
should be kept a profound secret; that her family should all be collected under her
roof; and that a scarlet line, by which she let them down from her window, should
be bound in the window, to prevent any mistake. The instructions which she gave
them for the avoiding of their pursuers, were such as prudence directed: these they
followed implicitly; and after hiding themselves three days in a neighbouring
mountain, they returned across the fords to their own camp in safety. Thus did she
effectually preserve the spies that Joshua had sent.]
2. From what principle she acted—
[It certainly appears strange, that she should so betray her king and country; and
stranger still, that she should be commended by God himself for this conduct; more
especially when we find, that she uttered various falsehoods for the attainment of
her end. Let us then investigate this point.
The principle from which she acted, was faith. Of this we are assured on the
authority of an inspired Apostle; “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them
that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace [ ote: Hebrews
11:31.].” The same is manifest in the account before us. She believed that the God of
Israel was the only true God. She believed that God was the great Disposer of all
events: that he had given the land of Canaan to his people Israel: that he had
miraculously opened a way for them through the Red Sea, at their first coming out
of Egypt: that he had enabled them to destroy Sihon and Og, the two kings of the
Amorites, and to take possession of their land: and that he would infallibly
accomplish his promises to them, in the total subjugation of the Canaanites. All this
is evident from the very words of our text. ow, if we consider how contracted were
the views even of the pious Israelites at that time, this faith, strong and assured as it

93. was, was truly wonderful: it might justly be said of her, as of another Canaanitish
woman, “O woman, great is thy faith! I have not found so great faith, no, not in
Israel.”
But here arises a question of considerable difficulty: How can we reconcile the
falsehoods which she uttered with the professions which she made, and with the
commendations given her in the Scriptures? To solve this difficulty, commentators
have had recourse to various expedients; some extenuating, some justifying, and
some altogether condemning her conduct. But we apprehend that the true solution
must be found in the strength and assurance of her faith: she herself said, not, “I
fear,” or, “I believe,” but, “I know that the Lord hath given you the land.” She was
fully assured that it was in vain to fight against God: that, if these two spies were
put to death, it would make no difference whatever as to the issue of the contest:
that the whole city and all its inhabitants would infallibly be destroyed: and that the
only possible way of securing herself and family would be to submit to the God of
Israel, and to unite themselves to his people. To what purpose then would it be to
deliver up the spies? it would not save one single life: it would only be to continue
fighting against God, and to bring on herself and all her family that destruction
which it was now in her power to avert. By concealing the spies she, in fact, could
injure nobody; but by giving them up, she would sacrifice, both for herself and
family, all hopes of life either in this world or the world to come. At the same time
that this view of the matter gives the easiest solution to the difficulty, it serves to
explain the commendation given to her by the Apostle James: “Was not Rahab the
harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them
out another way [ ote: James 2:25.]?” Yes; she did by this act evince the reality and
strength of her faith, and prove, that she had determined to cast herself entirely,
both for time and for eternity, upon the mercy of the God of Israel.
If it is asked, whether faith in God will produce, or even countenance, falsehood; we
answer, o: but that question does not fairly belong to the subject: let it be asked,
whether Elisha was justified in deceiving the Syrian army, and leading them from
Dothan, whither they had come to destroy him, to Samaria, where they were
brought into the power of the king of Israel [ ote: 2 Kings 6:13-19.]? Or, if the cases
be thought not sufficiently parallel, let any one ask, whether, if a maniac were
coming to destroy his whole family, he should not think himself justified in denying
them to him, when no evil could accrue to the maniac himself by means of it, and the
preservation of so many lives depended on it? Yet even this case, strong as it would
be, would fall very far short of Rahab’s, whose eternal, no less than temporal,
interests depended on her forwarding the purposes of Heaven. But, whether we
justify or condemn her conduct, it can afford no precedent to us: for, before we can
plead her example in justification of treachery or falsehood, we must be
circumstanced like her, which it is nearly impossible we should ever be.]
Such was the service which she rendered to the Lord. Let us now consider,
II. The reward she obtained—

94. This was greater far than ever she herself could have conceived—
1. She and all her family were preserved—
[In a few days, Joshua and all his army appeared before the city; and, by God’s
special interposition, took it. The sign before agreed upon had been attended to by
Rahab, and the two very persons with whom the agreement had been made were
sent to secure the execution of it. They went to the house, brought out Rahab and all
her family, and placed them in safety near the camp of Israel: then the order was
given to burn the whole city, and to destroy every one of its inhabitants without
exception. The fulfilment of the covenant which the spies had entered into is
particularly noticed at the taking of Jericho; and Rahab herself long continued in
Israel a monument of the mercy of God and of the fidelity of his people [ ote:
Joshua 6:22-25.].
This alone was an exceeding great reward: to be so distinguished herself; and, after
all the distress which her former wickedness had occasioned to her family, to be
made an instrument of saving all their lives, surely this was an inestimable benefit,
and assimilated her to the angels which rescued Lot and his family from the flames
of Sodom.]
2. She is enrolled amongst the number of God’s most eminent saints—
[We have already had occasion to refer to the testimony of two Apostles in her
behalf. The very scope of one was to illustrate the transcendent excellence of faith,
and of the other to shew its operative and transforming power: by both of them is
she united with the patriarch Abraham himself: and by one she is said to be justified
by this work of hers, as Abraham was justified by offering up his son Isaac on the
altar. The boon she desired was, temporal life; and behold, here was given to her
spiritual and eternal life. How loudly did this proclaim to Israel the determination
of God to incorporate with them in due time the Gentile world! And how strongly
does it declare to us, that “where sin has abounded, grace shall much more
abound!” Methinks, as Paul says of himself, that “for this cause he obtained mercy,
that in him the chief of sinners God might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern
to them that shall hereafter believe on him to life everlasting,” so we may say of this
woman. O that all the harlots in the world could hear of the mercy shewed to this
notorious prostitute! Despised as they are and abandoned by their fellow-creatures,
O that they knew what compassion for them exists in the bosom of their God! They
usually persist in their wickedness, through an utter despair of obtaining the mercy
and grace which they stand in need of: but here they might see, that the vilest of
sinners may become the most eminent of saints. Our Lord indeed tells us, that
publicans and harlots are often more willing to seek for mercy than proud self-
complacent moralists [ ote: Matthew 21:31.]: O that the instance before us might
lead many to repentance, and that, like another of whom we read, “having had
much forgiven, they may love much!”]
3. She was made an ancestor of the Messiah himself—

95. [Mysterious truth! A Gentile, belonging to an accursed nation, and to a place
peculiarly obnoxious to the wrath of God: and she too, an harlot of peculiar
notoriety; to be chosen of God, not only to become an eminent saint, but an
instrument of continuing the line of his elect, and ultimately of bringing into the
world his only-begotten Son [ ote: Matthew 1:5.]! What shall we say to this? The
truth of it cannot be doubted; for she is expressly mentioned in the genealogy of
Christ [ ote: If Salmon, who married her, was, as is by no means improbable, one
of the two spies, what beautiful considerations would arise out of that circumstance!
But, where there is so much known, it is not desirable, unnecessarily, to introduce
conjecture.]. How infinitely did this honour surpass all that she could ever have
imagined! What a reward was here for protecting the spies! But verily we never can
entertain too exalted thoughts of God’s love and mercy: the riches of his grace are
altogether unsearchable, and the extent of his love, incomprehensible.
This however we may learn from it, that God will abundantly recompense whatever
we do for him ———“ Even a cup of cold water given for his sake, shall in no wise
lose its reward.” Let us then enlarge our expectations from him, and open our
mouths wide, that he may fill them. Let us not be afraid to incur risks for him; but
let us serve him at all events, accounting nothing of any value in comparison of his
favour, nothing desirable but an inheritance with his people — — — [ ote: The
brief practical hints contained under these three subdivisions, might be omitted, and
added separately as three inferences from the subject. Thus — Infer, 1. There is no
person so vile, but he may become an eminent saint—2. Faith, if true, will uniformly
produce good works—3. Whatever we do for God shall most assuredly be richly
rewarded. This plan would contract the second head; but it would admit of these
important thoughts being more expanded and enforced.]]
9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has
given you this land and that a great fear of you
has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country
are melting in fear because of you.
CLARKE, "I know that the Lord hath given you the land - It is likely she had
this only from conjecture, having heard of their successes against the Amorites, their
prodigious numbers, and seeing the state of terror and dismay to which the inhabitants

96. of her own land were reduced.
GILL, "And she said unto the men,.... The two spies:
I know that the Lord hath given you the land; the land of Canaan, of which she
was an inhabitant, and in which they now were; this she knew either by some tradition
that was among them; or by divine revelation, a supernatural impulse upon her mind: or
by observing what the Lord had done already, in putting the land of the Amorites into
their hands, which were one of the seven nations of Canaan; and by this it also appears,
and more clearly by what follows, that she had knowledge of the Lord God, the God of
Israel:
and that your terror is fallen upon us; which was another token or sign by which
she knew the land would be delivered to them; that they who were a formidable people,
and struck terror into others, now were terrified themselves, at the rumour of Israel
being come to invade them; this was what the Lord said should be the case, Deu_11:25,
and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you; or "melt" (f), like
wax before the fire, as Moses had predicted, Exo_15:15.
HE RY, "The matter is here settled between Rahab and the spies respecting the
service she was now to do for them, and the favour they were afterwards to show to her.
She secures them on condition that they should secure her.
I. She gives them, and by them sends to Joshua and Israel, all the encouragement that
could be desired to make their intended descent upon Canaan. this was what they came
for, and it was worth coming for. Having got clear of the officers, she comes up to them
to the roof of the house where they lay hid, finds them perhaps somewhat dismayed at
the peril they apprehended themselves in from the officers, and scarcely recovered from
the fright, but has that to say to them which will give them abundant satisfaction. 1. She
lets them know that the report of the great things God had done for them had come to
Jericho (v. 10), not only that they had an account of their late victories obtained over the
Amorites in the neighbouring country, on the other side of the river, but that their
miraculous deliverance out of Egypt, and passage through the Red Sea, a great way off,
and forty years ago, were remembered and talked of afresh in Jericho, to the amazement
of every body. Thus this Joshua and his fellows were men wondered at, Zec_3:8. See
how God makes his wonderful works to be remembered (Psa_111:4), so that men shall
speak of the might of his terrible acts, Psa_145:6. 2. She tells them what impressions the
tidings of these things had made upon the Canaanites: Your terror has fallen upon us
(Jos_2:9); our hearts did melt, Jos_2:11. If she kept a public house, this would give her
an opportunity of understanding the sense of various companies and of travellers from
other parts of the country, so that they could not know this any way better than by her
information; and it would be of great use to Joshua and Israel to know it; it would put
courage into the most cowardly Israelite to hear how their enemies were dispirited, and
it was easy to conclude that those who now fainted before them would infallibly fall
before them, especially because it was the accomplishment of a promise God had made
them, that he would lay the fear and dread of them upon all this land (Deu_11:25), and
so it would be an earnest of the accomplishment of all the other promises God had made

97. to them. Let not the stout man glory in his courage, any more than the strong man in his
strength; for God can weaken both mind and body. Let not God's Israel be afraid of their
most powerful enemies; for their God can, when he pleases, make their most powerful
enemies afraid of them. Let none think to harden their hearts against God and prosper;
for he that made man's soul can at any time make the sword of his terrors approach to it.
3. She hereupon makes profession of her faith in God and his promise; and perhaps
there was not found so great faith (all things considered), no, not in Israel, as in this
woman of Canaan. (1.) who believes God's power and dominion over all the world (v. 11):
“Jehovah your God, whom you worship and call upon, is so far above all gods that he is
the only true God; for he is God in heaven above and in earth beneath, and is served by
all the hosts of both.” A vast distance there is between heaven and earth, yet both are
equally under the inspection and government of the great Jehovah. Heaven is not above
his power, nor is earth below his cognizance. (2.) She believes his promise to his people
Israel (v. 9): I know that the Lord hath given you the land. The king of Jericho had
heard as much as she had of the great things God had done for Israel, yet he cannot infer
thence that the Lord had given them this land, but resolves to hold it out against them to
the last extremity; for the most powerful means of conviction will not of themselves
attain the end without divine grace, and by that grace Rahab the harlot, who had only
heard of the wonders God had wrought, speaks with more assurance of the truth of the
promise made to the fathers than all the elders of Israel had done who were eye-
witnesses of those wonders, many of whom perished through unbelief of this promise.
Blessed are those that have not seen, and yet have believed; so Rahab did. O woman,
great is thy faith!
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:9 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given
you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of
the land faint because of you.
Ver. 9. I know that the Lord hath given you the land.] She had a full assurance both
of knowledge, {as Luke 1:1} and of faith, {as Hebrews 6:10; Hebrews 11:31} when
many Israelites staggered and distrusted the promise. "God hath mercy on whom he
will have mercy," &c. [Romans 9:15; Romans 9:18]
WHEDO , "9. I know that the Lord hath given you the land — Mark the strength
of her affirmation: not 1 believe, but I know. Rahab now discloses unto them the
cause of her hospitality, her firm conviction that the Hebrews were destined to
overthrow her people. This belief arose from the miraculous passage of the Red Sea,
and the easy conquest of Eastern Palestine. With characteristic womanly
penetration she had read the secret fears of her countrymen, and had interpreted
them as tokens of coming defeat to her people. Thus the very knowledge which
Joshua was most desirous of attaining, namely, the state of feeling among the
Canaanites, is freely communicated to the spies. To dishearten a nation is to
conquer it.
Your terror — Fear of you has paralyzed us. Moses, in his last discourse, had
predicted this result. Deuteronomy 2:25; Deuteronomy 11:25.
All the inhabitants of the land faint — For faint, the Hebrew reads, are melted; an

98. expression showing the utter prostration of their confidence and resolution. This
despair of the people, whether natural or supernatural, prevented them from
making any combination to resist the invading host at the best place for such
resistance — the passage of the Jordan.
COKE, "Ver. 9. She said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the
land, &c.— As if she had thus addressed them. "Be not surprised at the care I take
for your security. I, as well as you, believe in the one true God, absolute master of
the fate of nations. I know that he hath resolved to give this country to the people of
Israel; and I can already sensibly perceive the effect of his sovereign decree, in the
terror which has seized on all the inhabitants of this land," &c. This terror is here
painted by two very strong expressions. First, It was a terror fallen upon the
inhabitants of the country; i.e. a sudden terror, which had struck them like thunder.
Secondly, They fainted, or, as the Hebrew imports, they melted; as wax is made to
melt in the fire: they were bereft of their strength and courage.
ELLICOTT, "Verses 9-11
(9-11) She said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land. . . .—
The words of this confession are memorable in everyway. ote the fulfilment of the
prophetic song of Moses, which is partly repeated here (Exodus 15:15-16, with
Joshua 2:9-11), “All the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away; fear and dread shall
fall upon them.” But especially observe the expression of Rahab’s own belief,
“Jehovah, your God, He is God in heaven above and in earth beneath.” Did the faith
of the men of Israel go much further than this? Did it always go so far? (Comp.
Joshua 24:14; 1 Kings 18:21; Jonah 1:9-10). The prophets themselves could not
assert much more. The greatest of them were satisfied if they could bring the people
of Israel to acknowledge this. Rahab’s confession is also one of a series. The
Egyptians, Philistines, Syrians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, were all in turn
brought to the same acknowledgment by their contact with Israel. The reason is
stated in Joshua 4:24, “That all the people of the earth may know the hand of
Jehovah, that it is mighty.”
PULPIT, "Hath given. Rahab's faith is shown by this expression. What God willed
she regarded as already done. To speak of the future as of a past already fulfilled is
the usual language of the Hebrew prophets. Faint, Literally, melt; cf. Exodus 15:15,
Exodus 15:16, which is thus shown to be not poetic license, but sober fact. For we
may take the future in the passage just cited as a present, and translate, "All the
inhabitants of Canaan melt away; fear and dread are falling upon them" (cf.
Deuteronomy 2:25; Deuteronomy 11:25).

99. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the
water of the Red Sea[a] for you when you came
out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og,
the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan,
whom you completely destroyed.[b]
GILL, "For we have heard how the Lord dried up the waters of the Red sea
for you, when ye came out of Egypt,.... To make a passage for them through it, to
walk in as on dry land; this they had heard of and remembered, though it was forty years
ago:
and what you did unto the kings of the Amorites that were on the other side
Jordan: which were things more recent, done but a few months ago:
Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed; the history of which see in Num_21:21;
who were destroyed by them under Moses and Joshua their commanders; and Hercules,
who is thought to be the same with Joshua, is by Lucian (g) called Ogmius, from slaying
Og, as is supposed (h).
K&D, "Jos_2:10
The report of the drying up of the Red Sea (Exo_14:15.), of the defeat of the mighty
kings of the Amorites, and of the conquest of their kingdoms, had produced this effect
upon the Canaanites. Even in the last of these occurrences the omnipotence of God had
been visibly displayed, so that what the Lord foretold to Moses (Deu_2:25) had now
taken place; it had filled all the surrounding nations with fear and dread of Israel, and
the heart and courage of the Canaanites sank in consequence.
CALVI , "10.For we have heard how, etc. She mentions, as the special cause of
consternation, that the wide-spread rumor of miracles, hitherto without example,
had impressed it on the minds of all that God was warring for the Israelites. For it
was impossible to doubt that the way through the Red Sea had been miraculously
opened up, as the water would never have changed its nature and become piled up
in solid heaps, had not God, the author of nature, so ordered. The transmutation of
the element, therefore, plainly showed that God was on the side of the people, to
whom he had given a dry passage through the depths of the sea.
The signal victories also gained over Og and Bashan, were justly regarded as
testimonies of the divine favor towards the Israelites. This latter conclusion, indeed,
rested only on conjecture, whereas the passage of the sea was a full and irrefragable

100. proof, as much so as if God had stretched forth his hand from heaven. All minds,
therefore, were seized with a conviction that in the expedition of the Israelitish
people God was principal leader; (40) hence their terror and consternation. At the
same time, it is probable that they were deceived by some vain imagination that the
God of Israel had proved superior in the contest to the gods of Egypt; just as the
poets feign that every god has taken some nation or other under his protection, and
wars with others, and that thus conflicts take place among the gods themselves while
they are protecting their favorites.
But the faith of Rahab takes a higher flight, while to the God of Israel alone she
ascribes supreme power and eternity. These are the true attributes of Jehovah. She
does not dream, according to the vulgar notion, that some one, out of a crowd of
deities, is giving his assistance to the Israelites, but she acknowledges that He whose
favor they were known to possess is the true and only God. We see, then, how in a
case where all received the same intelligence, she, in the application of it, went far
beyond her countrymen.
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the
Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of
the Amorites, that [were] on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly
destroyed.
Ver. 10. For we have heard.] Historiae fidae monitrices. Succurrat illud … Mutato
nomine de te fabula narratur.
WHEDO , "10. We have heard — An event so wonderful filled the world with
amazement. Traders and caravans passing from Egypt through the deserts would
frequently pass through Jericho, and spread the tidings of the Hebrews’ triumphs.
Of all the miracles which attended the exodus from Egypt, none was capable of
producing so profound an impression upon all surrounding nations as the drying up
of the Red Sea, the safe passage of the Israelites, and the destruction of the Egyptian
host by the rolling back of the parted surges. Exodus 14:15-31. The lapse of forty
years had not effaced that deep impression — an incidental proof of the magnitude
of the miracle. Events more recent and nearer to them had increased their alarm.
The Amorites east of the Jordan, who had evinced their martial prowess by
conquering the king of Moab and seizing his land, were in turn subdued by the
resistless arms of the Israelites. The Amorites were the most powerful and
distinguished of the Canaanitish nations, and occupied a tract on both sides of the
Jordan. Those on the east side were under two kings, Sihon and Og. The former
refused passage to the Hebrews through his territory, came to Jahaz, fought, and
was defeated. Og also gave battle at Edrei, and was totally routed. See on umbers
21:21-35.
PULPIT, "For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for
you. Rahab uses the word ‫ָה‬‫ו‬ֹ ‫ְה‬‫י‬ . Whether this name were known to her or not, she
knew what was signified by it, the one only self-existent God (since ‫יהוה‬ is clearly

101. derived from ‫ָה‬‫י‬ָ‫ה‬ or ‫ָה‬‫ו‬ָ‫ה‬ to be), the Author of all things, visible and invisible (see
Joshua 2:11). The Red Sea. Brugsch, in his 'History of Egypt,' denies that ‫ַם־סוּף‬‫י‬
should be rendered 'Red Sea,' and affirms that this error of the LXX. interpreters
has been the source of endless misapprehensions. ‫ַם־סוּף‬‫י‬ is an Egyptian word
signifying flags or rushes, which abound not only in the Red Sea, but in the marshes
on the shores of the Mediterranean, as, in fact, in all low-lying lands. It is here,
according to Brugsch, in a treacherous and well-nigh impassable country, near that
Serbonian bog, "where armies whole have sunk", that we are to look for the
victorious passage of Moses, and the destruction of Pharaoh and his host. The ‫סוּף‬ or
rushes were to be found in the ile, as Exodus 2:9, Exodus 2:5 shows (cf. Isaiah
19:6). So that ‫ַם־סוּף‬‫י‬ by no means necessarily implies the Red Sea. Yet on the other
hand we may remember, with the Edinburgh Reviewer, that the coastline of
Palestine and of the delta of the ile has undergone considerable changes during the
historic period, and that the land has, during that period, largely encroached on the
sea. Sihon and Og. As we read in umber 21. and Deuteronomy 2:1-37;
Deuteronomy 3:1-29. Whom ye utterly destroyed. Rather, devoted to utter
destruction (see Joshua 6:21). Rahab seems to be aware that the extermination of
these nations was in fulfilment of a Divine sentence.
11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear
and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for
the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on
the earth below.
BAR ES, "The Lord your God, he is God - From the rumour of God’s
miraculous interpositions Rahab believed, and makes the self-same confession to which
Moses endeavors to bring Israel by rehearsing similar arguments Deu_4:39. Rahab had
only heard of what Israel had experienced. Her faith then was ready. It is noteworthy,
too, that the same reports which work faith and conversion in the harlot, cause only
terror and astonishment among her countrymen. (Compare Luk_8:37-39.)
CLARKE, "He is God in heaven above, and to earth beneath - This confession

102. of the true God is amazingly full, and argues considerable light and information. As if
she had said, “I know your God to be omnipotent and omnipresent:” and in consequence
of this faith she hid the spies, and risked her own life in doing it. But how had she this
clear knowledge of the Divine nature?
1. Possibly the knowledge of the true God was general in the earth at this time,
though connected with much superstition and idolatry; the people believing that
there was a god for every district, and for every people; for the mountains and for
the valleys; see 1Ki_20:23.
2. Or she received this instruction from the spies, with whom she appears to have
had a good deal of conversation; or,
3. She had it from a supernatural influence of God upon her own soul. She probably
made a better use of the light she had received than the rest of her countrymen,
and God increased that light.
GILL, "And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt,....
Particularly what were done to the two kings of the Amorites, who, and their people,
were utterly destroyed, their goods made a prey of, and their countries seized upon and
possessed:
neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you; they
looked dejected in their countenances, had no heart to go about any business, trembled
at the shaking of a leaf, or at the least rumour and report made that the Israelites were
coming on and were at hand; they had no spirit to prepare to go out and meet them, or
to defend themselves:
for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath; the
Maker and Possessor of both; is the Governor of the whole universe, and does what he
pleases in it; and disposes of all countries, persons, and things, as he thinks fit: this is a
proof of her knowledge of the true God, and faith in him, and shows her to be a believer,
and hence she is reckoned in the catalogue of believers, Heb_11:31; and her faith is
proved to be of the right kind by the works she did, Jam_2:25.
CALVI , "11.The Lord your God, he is God, etc. Here the image of Rahab’s faith
appears, as if reflected in a mirror, when casting down all idols she ascribes the
government of heaven and earth to the God of Israel alone. For it is perfectly clear
that when heaven and earth are declared subject to the God of Israel, there is a
repudiation of all the pagan fictions by which the majesty, and power, and glory of
God are portioned out among different deities; and hence we see that it is not
without cause that two Apostles have honored Rahab’s conduct with the title of
faith This is sneered at by some proud and disdainful men, but I wish they would
consider what it is to distinguish the one true God from all fictitious deities, and at
the same time so to extol his power as to declare that the whole world is governed at
his pleasure. Rahab does not speak hesitatingly, but declares, in absolute terms, that
whatever power exists resides in the God of Israel alone, that he commands all the
elements, that he orders all things above and below, and determines human affairs.
Still I deny not that her faith was not fully developed, nay, I readily admit, that it

103. was only a germ of piety which, as yet, would have been insufficient for her eternal
salvation. We must hold, nevertheless, that however feeble and slender the
knowledge of God which the woman possessed may have been, still in surrendering
herself to his power, she gives a proof of her election, and that from that seed a faith
was germinating which afterwards attained its full growth.
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:11 And as soon as we had heard [these things], our hearts did
melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the
LORD your God, he [is] God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
Ver. 11. For the Lord your God, he is God.] As for our idols, they are very vanities,
and cannot deliver us. The Tyrians, afraid their Apollo should forsake them at that
time when Alexander besieged their city, chained and nailed that idol to a post, that
they might be sure of it; but all would not do.
WHEDO , "11. For the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth
beneath — This is the full profession of Rahab’s faith in the God of Israel. It was a
complete renunciation of her idolatry and harlotry. It was a change in belief, feeling,
will, and action, which brought her to the worship of the true God, and to a
maternity of the Messiah in David’s royal line. However alloyed by one
imperfection, it was a true faith working out its true results. And the wide-spread
terror of these nations, as described in the last verse, and Rahab’s faith, were in
accordance with God’s purpose in raising up Pharaoh and diffusing his “name.”
ote on Romans 9:17.
COKE, "Ver. 11. For the Lord your God, he is God, &c.— "Is a God whose power,
far different from that of the idols, who only preside over certain places of which
they are considered as the tutelar deities, extends through all nature, and hath no
bounds." This fine confession of Rahab is a convincing proof of the purity of her
sentiments. We are not to be surprised, after this, at the apostle's celebrating the
faith of this memorable Canaanite; much less, that, animated by a faith so judicious
and noble, she should receive as she did the spies sent by Joshua.
PULPIT, "Melt. The word in the Hebrew is a different one to that used in Joshua
2:9, but it has a precisely similar meaning. There seems no reason why the
destruction of Sihon and Og should have inspired such terror into the hearts of the
powerful Phoenician tribes. But the miracle of the drying up of the Red Sea was an
event of quite another order, and eminently calculated to produce such feelings.
othing but such an occurrence could have explained Rahab's language, or the
anxiety which the near approach of the armies of Israel inspired in those "cities,
great and walled up to heaven," with their inhabitants of giant-like stature and
strength. Courage. Literally, spirit. The word ַ‫ח‬‫רוּ‬ seems to have been used in the
Hebrew in just the same senses as our word spirit, and it signified wind also (see 1
Kings 10:5). For the Lord your God, he is God. Literally, for Jehovah your God.
This declaration, bearing in mind the circumstances of the person who uttered it, is
as remarkable as St. Peter's, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." How

104. Rahab attained to this knowledge of God's name and attributes we do not know. It
is certain, however, that under the circumstances her knowledge and spiritual
insight are as surprising as any recorded in Scripture, and are sufficient to explain
the honour in which her name has been held, both at the time and ever since. "I see
here," says Bp. Hall, "not only a disciple of God, but a prophetesse." Keil argues
that Rahab regards God only as one of the gods, and supposes that she had not
entirely escaped from polytheism. But this view does not appear to be borne out by
the form of her expressions. We should rather, in that case, have expected to find
"he is among the gods," than He is God, which is the only possible rendering of the
Hebrew.
12 “ ow then, please swear to me by the Lord
that you will show kindness to my family, because
I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign
BAR ES, "A true token - literally, “a sign” or “pledge of truth; “something to bind
them to keep their promise faithfully. The “token” was the oath which the spies take
Jos_2:14.
CLARKE, "Swear unto me by the Lord - This is a farther proof that this woman
had received considerable instruction in the Jewish faith; she acknowledged the true
God by his essential character Jehovah; and knew that an oath in his name was the
deepest and most solemn obligation under which a Jew could possibly come. Does not
this also refer to the command of God, Thou shalt fear the Lord, and shalt swear by his
name? See the note on Deu_6:13.
GILL, "Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord,.... Which being
a religious action, and done by men that feared the Lord, she knew it would be binding
upon them: the Targum is,"swear to me by the Word of the Lord:"
since I have showed you kindness; by receiving them with peace into her house,
and hiding them when inquired for and demanded of her; in doing which she risked her

105. own, life, had this treachery to her country, as it would have been deemed, been
discovered;
that you will also show kindness unto my father's house; she mentions not
herself and household, for if this was granted that would be implied and included; and
this she presses for by the law of retaliation and friendship, for since she had shown
kindness to them, it was but reasonable it should be returned:
and give me a true token; that she and her father's house would be saved by them
when the city should be taken and the inhabitants destroyed; a token that would not
deceive her, on which she might depend, and would be firm and sure.
HE RY 12-13, " She engaged them to take her and her relations under their
protection, that they might not perish in the destruction of Jericho, v. 12, 13. Now, 1. It
was an evidence of the sincerity and strength of her faith concerning the approaching
revolution in her country that she was so solicitous to make an interest for herself with
the Israelites, and courted their kindness. She foresaw the conquest of her country, and
in the belief of that bespoke in time the favour of the conquerors. Thus Noah, being
moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house, and the condemning of the
world, Heb_11:7. Those who truly believe the divine revelation concerning the ruin of
sinners, and the grant of the heavenly land to God's Israel, will give diligence to flee from
the wrath to come, and to lay hold of eternal life, by joining themselves to God and to his
people. 2. The provision she made for the safety of her relations, as well as for her own,
is a laudable instance of natural affection, and an intimation to us in like manner to do
all we can for the salvation of the souls of those that are dear to us, and, with ourselves,
to bring them, if possible, into the bond of the covenant. No mention is made of her
husband and children, but only her parents, and brothers, and sisters, for whom, though
she was herself a housekeeper, she retained a due concern. 3. Her request that they
would swear unto her by Jehovah is an instance of her acquaintance with the only true
God, and her faith in him and devotion towards him, one act of which is religiously to
swear by his name. 4. Her petition is very just and reasonable, that, since she had
protected them, they should protect her, and since her kindness to them extended to
their people, for whom they were now negotiating, their kindness to her should take in
all hers. It was the least they could do for one that had saved their lives with the hazard
of her own. Note, Those that show mercy may expect to find mercy. Observe, She does
not demand any preferment by way of reward for her kindness to them, though they lay
so much at her mercy that she might have made her own terms, but only indents for her
Life, which in a general destruction would be a singular favour. Thus God promised
Ebed-Melech, in recompence for his kindness to Jeremiah, that in the worst of times he
should have his life for a prey, Jer_39:18. Yet this Rahab was afterwards advanced to be
a princess in Israel, the wife of Salmon, and one of the ancestors of Christ, Mat_1:5.
Those that faithfully serve Christ and suffer for him he will not only protect, but prefer,
and will do for them more than they are able to ask or think.
CALVI , "12. ow, therefore, I pray you, swear, etc. It is another manifestation of
faith that she places the sons of Abraham in sure possession of the land of Canaan,
founding on no other argument than her having heard that it was divinely promised
to them. For she did not suppose that God was favoring lawless intruders who were
forcing their way into the territories of others with unjust violence and uncurbed
licentiousness, but rather concluded that they were coming into the land of Canaan,

106. because God had assigned them the dominion of it. It cannot be believed that when
they sought a passage from the Edomites and others, they said nothing as to whither
they were going. ay, those nations were acquainted with the promise which was
made to Abraham, and the memory of which had been again renewed by the
rejection of Esau.
Moreover, in the language of Rahab, we behold that characteristic property of faith
described by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, when he calls it a vision, or
sight of things not appearing. (Hebrews 11:1) Rahab is dwelling with her people in a
fortified city: and yet she commits her life to her terrified guests, just as if they had
already gained possession of the land, and had full power to save or destroy as they
pleased. This voluntary surrender was, in fact, the very same as embracing the
promise of God, and casting herself on his protection. She, moreover, exacts an oath,
because often, in the storming of cities, the heat and tumult of the struggle shook off
the remembrance of duty. In the same way she mentions the kindness she had
shown to them, that gratitude might stimulate them the more to perform their
promise. For although the obligation of the oath ought of itself to have been
effectual, it would have been doubly base and inhumane not to show gratitude to a
hostess to whom they owed deliverance. Rahab shows the kindliness of her
disposition, in her anxiety about her parents and kindred. This is, indeed, natural;
but many are so devoted to themselves, that children hesitate not to ransom their
own lives by the death of their parents, instead of exerting courage and zeal to save
them.
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:12 ow therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD,
since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s
house, and give me a true token:
Ver. 12. And give me a true token.] Sυσσηµον, as Mark 14:44. Signum consignans,
de composito datum. As for the familiar conference that here passed betwixt these
spies and Rahab, we need not question how they could so easily understand one
another, being of two several nations. For, first, the language of the Canaanites,
Phoenicians, Philistines, differed not much from the Hebrew, which Jerome (a)
rightly calleth Omnium linguarum matricem, the mother tongue. See Plautus in
"Paenulo," act v. And then, it is not unlikely that these spies had learned the
language of Canaan, by conversing with those conquered Amorites on this side
Jordan.
BE SO , "Verse 12-13
Joshua 2:12-13. Swear unto me by the Lord — Hebrew, by Jehovah, your God, who
is the only true God: so she owns his worship, one eminent act whereof is, swearing
by his name. My father’s house — My near kindred, which she particularly names,
(Joshua 2:13,) husband and children, it seems, she had none. And for herself it was
needless to speak, it being a plain and undeniable duty to save their preserver. True
tokens — Either an assurance that you will preserve me and mine from the common
ruin, or a token which I may produce as a witness of this agreement, and a means of

107. my security. This is all that she asks. But God did for her more than she could ask
or think. She was afterward advanced to be a princess in Israel, the wife of Salmon,
and one of the ancestors of Christ. All that they have — That is, their children, as
appears from Joshua 6:23.
WHEDO , "12. Swear unto me — She gives still stronger proof of her confidence in
the success of the Israelites by wishing to enter into covenant with the spies for the
salvation of herself and her father’s family. She feels that if they swear by Israel’s
mighty God they will not dare prove false. Her faith assumes a practical character,
and shows itself by works. It impels her to bargain for her deliverance from the
destruction which she sees impending over the city.
Since I have showed you kindness — Rahab here makes a good application of the
Golden Rule.
Give me a true token — Some visible, material proof of the oath; some object which
she may keep and produce as evidence that such a solemn compact has been entered
into by the parties. This token was a substitute for a written covenant bearing their
signatures.
COKE, "Ver. 12. ow therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord— In
acknowledgment of the signal service which Rahab had done the two spies, she
requests of them a favour, which is, that, at the taking of Jericho, not only herself
and her parents, but all those also of her family who were found in her house,
should be exempted from the general destruction. And she desires that it may be
assured to her by an oath: this was the greatest security she could have; an oath is
the most respectable and sacred tie of fidelity in all discourses and promises. All
nations have so deemed it. All have believed, that the gods, avengers of sin, were
particularly so of perjury; and, doubtless, the worshippers of the true God should
be the most religious of all mortals in their observance of an oath. But how lively
must the faith of this woman have been, that could excite her to act as she did! She
speaks of Jericho, rather as a city already taken, than as barely threatened; and
behaves as if she actually beheld the accomplishment of God's aweful decree. Hence
the precautions that she takes, and the oath which she requires, are so many proofs
of the confidence wherewith she received the word of God, and of her perfect
acquiescence in his will.
And give me a true token— That is, a sign, which might serve her as a safeguard,
and put her house in perfect security against the violence of the soldiery. Houbigant
renders it, and that you will give me a true token.

108. 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and
mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who
belong to them—and that you will save us from
death.”
CLARKE, "Deliver our lives from death - She had learned, either from the spies
or otherwise, that all the inhabitants of the land were doomed to destruction, and
therefore she obliges them to enter into a covenant with her for the preservation of
herself and her household.
GILL, "And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my
brethren, and my sisters,.... She makes no mention of any husband or children she
had, as harlots seldom have, and which seems to confirm her character as such; and so
Abarbinel observes, that her father's house is only mentioned to tell us that she had no
husband, for she was an harlot and had no children, and puts her father and mother in
the room of an husband, and her brethren and sisters in the room of children:
and all that they have; not their substance only, but their children more especially,
the children of her brethren and sisters:
and deliver our lives from death; here she manifestly includes herself, and requests
the saving of her life, and the lives of all her relations, when she knew the inhabitants of
the city would be all put to death upon the taking of it: thus she provided for the safety of
her family, as Noah in another case and manner did, Heb_11:7; and indeed seemed more
concerned for them than for herself; and thus souls sensible of their own estate and
condition, by nature and grace, are very solicitous for the salvation of their relations and
friends, Rom_9:3.
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:13 And [that] ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and
my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from
death.
Ver. 13. And that ye will save alive.] Man is ζωον φιλοζωον, a creature that would
fain live, said Aesop. Quis vitam non vult? said Augustine. The Gibeonites were
desirous to live upon any terms. [Joshua 9:3-14] Rahab’s greatest care was for her
kindred, because unconverted. Augustine professeth that he would not for the gain

109. of a million of worlds be an atheist for half an hour: because he knew not but God
might in that time call him to account.
WHEDO , "13. And that ye will save alive my father — The English version
wrongly supplies that. Read, And ye shall save alive, etc. She was by no means
destitute of natural affection. That she does not stipulate for the salvation of the
entire state of Jericho is no evidence of her want of patriotism. She was too deeply
impressed with the belief of the coming overthrow to ask so much. Our ties of
consanguinity should induce us to make extraordinary efforts for the conversion of
our kindred to God. This is the highest purpose of the creation of such ties in the
human soul.
All that they have — It is not necessary to limit this clause to persons only; it may
include portable possessions also. Comp. Joshua 6:23, note.
COKE, "Ver. 13. That ye will save alive my father, &c.— We here see what Rahab
means in the foregoing verse by her father's house;—namely, his family: her
enumeration of which demonstrates that she had neither husband nor children. By
all that they have, she meant the children of her brethren and sisters, and all her
kindred. See chap. Joshua 6:23.
ELLICOTT,"(13) Save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my
sisters.—Whatever Rahab may have been herself, her acknowledgment of all her
family is observable. She was in no way separated or degraded from their society.
When we remember what Moses describes the Canaanites to have been (in certain
passages of the Pentateuch, as Leviticus 18:24-28; Leviticus 20:22-23) and compare
this chapter, we may reasonably conclude Rahab to have been morally not inferior
to her countrymen as they were then, but rather their superior. We are reminded
that the “publicans and harlots “were not the worst members of the “evil and
adulterous generation” to whom the Word of God came. They believed John the
Baptist, and were among the most constant hearers of the true Joshua (Matthew
21:32; Luke 15:1).
14 “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured
her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will
treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord
gives us the land.”

110. BAR ES, "Our life for yours - See the margin. This is (see Jos_2:17) a form of
oath, in which God is in effect invoked to punish them with death if they did not perform
their promise to save Rahab’s life. Compare the more common form of oath, 1Sa_1:26,
etc.
CLARKE, "Our life for yours - “May our life be destroyed if we suffer yours to be
injured!” This is what was anciently called in our country pledging - staking, a man’s life
for that of his neighbor or friend.
GILL, "And the men answered her,.... The two spies:
our life for yours; or "our souls in your stead to die" (i); that is, we engage for the
security of your lives, should they be in danger; we promise to die in your room and
stead rather than you should: this they said not as though their lives would be required
of them for them, but to assure her of the safety of her and her father's house, on the
following condition:
if ye utter not this our business; not their business in searching the land, for the
discovery of that would be of little avail after they were gone; for it was known already
that there were persons come to search the land; but "this our word" (k), what they were
going to say to her and bid her do, as a sign of safety to her and hers; which, if she
discovered, others would give out the same sign, and then they could not promise her
safety; or if she did not take care to bring in her father, mother, brethren, and sisters,
and theirs into her house, they could not engage to protect them:
and it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land; not the whole land, but
Jericho and the laud about it, that when that part of it should be delivered into their
hands:
that we will deal kindly and truly with thee; "kindly", by sparing her and her
father's house; "truly", by faithfully performing the promise and oath they made to her.
HE RY, "They solemnly engaged for her preservation in the common destruction
(Jos_2:14): “Our life for yours. We will take as much care of your lives as of our own,
and would as soon hurt ourselves as any of you.” Nay, they imprecate God's judgments
on themselves if they should violate their promise to her. She had pawned her life for
theirs, and now they in requital pawn their lives for hers, and (as public persons) with
them they pawn the public faith and the credit of their nation, for they plainly interest all
Israel in the engagement in those words, When the Lord has given us the land, meaning
not themselves only, but the people whose agents they were. No doubt they knew

111. themselves sufficiently authorized to treat with Rahab concerning this matter, and were
confident that Joshua would ratify what they did, else they had not dealt honestly; the
general law that they should make no covenant with the Canaanites (Deu_7:2) did not
forbid them to take under their protection a particular person, that had heartily come
into their interests and had done them real kindnesses. The law of gratitude is one of the
laws of nature. Now observe here, 1. The promises they made her. In general, “We will
deal kindly and truly with thee, v. 14. We will not only be kind in promising now, but
true in performing what we promise; and not only true in performing just what we
promise, but kind in out-doing thy demands and expectations.” The goodness of God is
often expressed by his kindness and truth (Psa_117:2), and in both these we must be
followers of him. In particular, “If a hand be upon any in the house with thee, his blood
shall be on our head,” v. 19. If hurt come through our carelessness to those whom we are
obliged to protect, we thereby contract guilt, and blood will be found a heavy load. 2. The
provisos and limitations of their promises. Though they were in haste, and it may be in
some confusion, yet we find them very cautious in settling this agreement and the terms
of it, not to bind themselves to more than was fit for them to perform. Note, Covenants
must be made with care, and we must swear in judgment, lest we find ourselves
perplexed and entangled when it is too late after vows to make enquiry. Those that will
be conscientious in keeping their promises will be cautious in making them, and perhaps
may insert conditions which others may think frivolous. Their promise is here
accompanied with three provisos, and they were necessary ones. They will protect
Rahab, and all her relations always, provided, (1.) That she tie the scarlet cord with
which she was now about to let them down in the window of her house, v. 18. This was to
be a mark upon the house, which the spies would take care to give notice of to the camp
of Israel, that no soldier, how hot and eager soever he was in military executions, might
offer any violence to the house that was thus distinguished. This was like the blood
sprinkled upon the door-post, which secured the first-born from the destroying angel,
and, being of the same colour, some allude to this also to represent the safety of believers
under the protection of the blood of Christ sprinkled on the conscience. The same cord
that she made use of for the preservation of these Israelites was to be made use of for her
preservation. What we serve and honour God with we may expect he will bless and make
comfortable to us.
JAMISO , "the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this
our business — This was a solemn pledge - a virtual oath, though the name of God is
not mentioned; and the words were added, not as a condition of their fidelity, but as
necessary for her safety, which might be endangered if the private agreement was
divulged.
CALVI , "14.Our life for yours, etc. They imprecate death upon themselves, if they
do not faithfully make it their business to save Rahab. For the interpretation
adopted by some, We will pledge our lives, seems far-fetched, or too restricted, since
their intention was simply to bind themselves before God. They constitute
themselves, therefore, a kind of expiatory victims, if any evil befalls Rahab through
their negligence. The expression, for yours, ought, doubtless, to be extended to the
parents, brothers, and sisters. They therefore render their own lives liable in such a
sense, that blood may be required of them, if the family of Rahab do not remain
safe. And herein consists the sanctity of an oath, that though its violation may

112. escape with impunity, so far as men are concerned, yet God having been interposed
as a witness, will take account of the perfidy. In Hebrew, to do mercy and truth, is
equivalent to performing the office of humanity faithfully, sincerely, and firmly.
A condition, however, is inserted, — provided Rahab do not divulge what they have
said. This was inserted, not on account of distrust, as is usually expounded, but only
to put Rahab more upon her guard, on her own account. The warning, therefore,
was given in good faith, and flowed from pure good will: for there was a danger that
Rahab might betray herself by a disclosure. In one word, they show how important
it is that the matter should remain, as it were, buried, lest the woman, by
inconsiderately talking of the compact, might expose herself to capital punishment.
In this they show that they were sincerely anxious for her safety, since they thus
early caution her against doing anything which might put it out of their power to
render her a service. In further distinctly stipulating, that no one should go out of
the house, or otherwise they should be held blameless, we may draw the important
inference, that in making oaths soberness should be carefully attended to, that we
may not profane the name of God by making futile promises on any subject.
The advice of Rahab, to turn aside into the mountain, and there remain quiet for
three days, shows that there is no repugnance between faith and the precautions
which provide against manifest dangers. There is no doubt that the messengers
crept off to the mountain in great fear, and yet that confidence which they had
conceived, from the remarkable interference of God in their behalf, directed their
steps, and did not allow them to lose their presence of mind.
Some have raised the question, whether, seeing it is criminal to overleap walls, it
could be lawful to get out of the city by a window? But it ought to be observed, first,
that the walls of cities were not everywhere sacred, because every city had not a
Romulus, who could make the overleaping a pretext for slaying his brother; (41)
and secondly, That law, as Cicero reminds us, was to be tempered by equity,
inasmuch as he who should climb a wall for the purpose of repelling an enemy,
would be more deserving of reward than punishment. The end of the law is to make
the citizens secure by the protection of the walls. He, therefore, who should climb
over the walls, neither from contempt nor petulance, nor fraud, nor in a tumultuous
manner, but under the pressure of necessity, could not justly on that account be
charged with a capital offence. Should it be objected that the thing was of bad
example, I admit it; but when the object is to rescue one’s life from injury, violence,
or robbery, provided it be done without offence or harm to any one, necessity
excuses it. It cannot be charged upon Paul as a crime, that when in danger of his life
at Damascus, he was let down by a basket, seeing he was divinely permitted to
escape, without tumult, from the violence and cruelty of wicked men. (42)
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not
this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we
will deal kindly and truly with thee.

113. Ver. 14. If ye utter not this our business.] On this condition we assure thee of safety.
God’s promises also are with a condition, which is as an oar in a boat, or stern of a
ship, and turneth the promise another way.
BE SO , "Joshua 2:14. Our life for yours — We will venture our lives for the
security of yours. Our business — That is, this agreement of ours, and the condition
of it, lest others, under this pretence, should secure themselves. By which they show
both their piety and prudence in managing their oath with so much circumspection,
that neither their own consciences might be insnared, nor the public justice
obstructed.
WHEDO , "14. Our life for yours — According to Osiander, this form of oath may
be thus paraphrased: “We place our life and soul in the hand of God as a pledge for
thee, in order that he may destroy us if any one injures thee or thine.”
If ye utter not this our business — This is the indispensable condition on which their
oath and her deliverance depend.
COKE, "Ver. 14. And the men assured her, Our life for yours— i.e. We will perish
rather than suffer you to receive the least injury; or, May we perish, if your demand
be not complied with! They engaged themselves by oath, (see ver. 17.) so far as in
them lay, in a firm persuasion that Joshua would not fail to ratify what they had
promised solely for the public good.
If ye utter not this our business— Or, as the Hebrew signifies, this our word;—in
the engagement we make with you. Persuaded that their oath must be kept, these
prudent Israelites did not think proper to give it rashly; they specify the condition
upon which they undertake it, namely, that Rahab should keep secret what had
passed between her and them. Without this, others than those of her family might
have taken shelter in her house, or other houses than her's might have imitated the
token, by which the latter was to be known; and thus have deceived the vigilance of
those, who, as executioners of God's commands, were to spare none but herself, and
those who belonged to her.
We will deal kindly, &c.— That is, "We will exercise mercy towards you, and will
keep our promise." The Scripture often makes use of these expressions to denote the
favours of God towards his children, and the faithfulness wherewith he performs
the promises he has made them.
15 So she let them down by a rope through the

114. window, for the house she lived in was part of the
city wall.
BAR ES, "Upon the town wall - The town wall probably formed the back wall of
the house, and the window opened therefore into the country. (Compare Paul’s escape,
2Co_11:33).
CLARKE, "Then she let them down by a cord etc. - The natural place of this
verse is after the first clause of Jos_2:21; for it is certain that she did not let them down
in the basket till all those circumstances marked from Jos_2:16-20 inclusive had taken
place.
She dwelt upon the wall - That is, either the wall of the city made a part of her
house or her house was built close to the wall, so that the top or battlements of it were
above the wall with a window that looked out to the country. As the city gates were now
shut there was no way for the spies to escape but through this window; and in order to
this she let them down through the window in a basket suspended by a cord, till they
reached the ground on the outside of the wall.
GILL, "Then she let them down by a cord through the window,.... Which must
be large, and the cord strong, as well as she herself a masculine woman, to let down two
men by it, unless she employed any of her servants in the affair; though this being so
great a secrecy, it is probable she trusted none of her domestics with it as little as
possible: in like manner the Apostle Paul was let down by the wall of Damascus in a
basket, Act_9:25; Jarchi supposes it was the same cord and window, by means of and in
at which her gallants used to come and go:
for her house was upon the town wall; in a suitable and convenient place to
receive her guests and gallants: and it is observed, that harlots have had their houses on
or under walls: Martial speaks of harlots whom he calls (l) Summoenianae, whores that
plied under the walls and in the suburbs of cities:
and she dwelt upon the wall; that part of the house in which she particularly dwelt
was built on or over the wall, and the rest towards the city was for the entertainment of
persons that resorted to her house.
JAMISO , "her house was upon the town wall — In many Oriental cities
houses are built on the walls with overhanging windows; in others the town wall forms
the back wall of the house, so that the window opens into the country. Rahab’s was
probably of this latter description, and the cord or rope sufficiently strong to bear the
weight of a man.

115. K&D 15-16, "Rahab then let them down by a rope through the window, namely, into
the open country; for her house stood against or upon the town wall, so that she lived
upon the wall, and advised them to get to the mountains, that they might not meet the
men who had been sent out in pursuit of them, and to hide themselves there for three
days, when the pursuers would have returned.
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:15 Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for
her house [was] upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.
Ver. 15. For her house was upon the town wall.] In an obscure nook, among the
poorer sort of people: for this harlot Rahab had not got such an estate as Phryne
had, who offered at her own charge to repair the ruined walls of Thebes, if these
words only might have been inscribed on them, "Alexander overturned these walls,
and Phryne set them up again." (a)
And she dwelt upon the wall.] Where Providence had placed her for such a purpose
as this: for it is God that appointeth the bounds of men’s habitations. [Acts 17:26]
BE SO , "Verse 15-16
Joshua 2:15-16. Her house was upon the town-wall — Which gave her the
opportunity of dismissing them when the gates were shut. She dwelt upon the wall
— Her particular dwelling was there; which may possibly be added, because the
other part of her house was reserved for the entertainment of strangers. Get you to
the mountain — That is, to some of the mountains wherewith Jericho was
encompassed, in which also there were many caves where they might lurk. Three
days — ot three whole days, but one whole day, and part of two days.
WHEDO , "15. Then she let them downs by a cord — [Many interpreters are of
opinion that there is a confusion in the order of verses here, and that this verse
should follow the first sentence of Joshua 2:21. For it is improbable, they urge, that
Rahab and the spies continued to converse after the latter were let down from the
window, inasmuch as such conversation would have led to their detection and
exposure. But against such an opinion are the words, Thou didst let us down,
(Joshua 2:18;) and as for the confusion of verses, Keil well remarks that “the
Hebrews often connect together the principal circumstances attending any
particular event, and, after fully describing these, proceed to fill up the details of
minor importance. This, however, is nor, a confusion in the order of events, but an
anticipation of the result consequent upon a well-arranged division of the subject-
matter.”] Some have thought that it was impossible that she could let them down
alone, and they have furnished her with “friends or domestics” to assist her. But
there is no need of this assistance. By fastening the cord to something within the
room they could descend, sailor-like, even without aid from within. Paul was let

116. down in a basket. (2 Corinthians 11:33.)
Her house was upon the town wall — ‫החומה‬ ‫,בקיר‬ in the depth of the wall. Her house
was so constructed that the city wall formed also the back wall of the house.
She dwelt upon the wall — For her house was built on the wall, and projected
beyond its outer edge, so that from one of its outer windows the men could be let
down beyond the walls of the city. (See note on Acts 9:25.)
COKE, "Ver. 15. Then she let them down, &c.— Having thus mutually given their
word to each other, she took advantage of the darkness of the night, to let them
down by means of a cord, through a window of her house which opened to the
country. This house was built upon the wall, or in the wall itself of the city, very
near the gate. One of the fronts looked into the city; the other out of it.
COFFMA , ""Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her
house was upon the side of the wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto
them, Get you to the mountains, lest the pursuers light upon you; and hide yourself
there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your
way."
This whole narrative is clear enough when due allowance is made for the deficient
Hebrew tenses. Joshua 2:16 is a clear reference to the woman's instructions before
she let them down from the window. Also the elements of the conversation that are
given in the remaining verses also took place, obviously, while the men were in
Rahab's house.
"Get you to the mountains ..." These were the rugged hills that rise 1,500 feet to
2,000 feet above the Jericho plain within a mile or so of the city. These limestone
hills with many caves and grottoes were the very ones where the Dead Sea Scrolls
have been discovered in recent times, only about eight or ten miles southward from
Jericho![24] Rahab had correctly surmised that the search party would go toward
the Jordan River; or, was she familiar with the king's search parties from previous
experiences?
CO STABLE, "Verses 15-21
The spies gave their solemn promise to spare Rahab and her household but specified
three conditions that Rahab had to meet.
1. She had to make her home known to the Israelites when they attacked (
Joshua 2:18).
2. She had to assemble her family into her home before the battle ( Joshua
2:18).

117. 3. She had to keep the mission of the spies a secret ( Joshua 2:20; Joshua 2:14).
The cord Rahab was to hang out of her window and over the town wall-her house
stood on the wall ( Joshua 2:15)-was scarlet in color ( Joshua 2:15; Joshua 2:18).
Archaeologists have discovered houses within the ruined walls of ancient Jericho.
[ ote: See Bryant G. Wood, "Did the Israelites Conquer Jericho? A ew Look at
the Archaeological Evidence," Biblical Archaeology Review16:2 (1990):56.] Its
unusual color would have marked Rahab"s house for the Israelites. The color had
symbolic significance, too, since red recalls blood and vigorous life.
"In the preaching of the Christian church, all the way back to Clement of Rome ...,
this has been taken as a sign of the blood of Christ, the Lamb." [ ote: Frances
Schaeffer, Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History, p77.]
There is no Scriptural statement that the cord is a type, however.
"It answered, therefore, the same purpose with the blood sprinkled upon the door-
posts in Egypt, which secured the first-born from the destroying angel." [ ote:
Bush, pp39-40.]
God spared the lives of Rahab and her household because of her faith. Any of
Rahab"s relatives that would have gathered with her before the Israelite siege
would have done so because of their faith in God"s promise through the spies. If
they had no faith they would have stayed in their own homes. Thus the deliverance
of Rahab and her family depended on believing a promise from God. Salvation
always depends on believing a promise from God (cf. Genesis 15:6; John 3:16; et
al.).
16 She said to them, “Go to the hills so the
pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there
three days until they return, and then go on your
way.”

118. CLARKE, "Hide yourselves there three days - They were to travel by night, and
hide themselves in the day-time; otherwise they might have been discovered by the
pursuers who were in search of them.
GILL, "And she said unto them, get ye unto the mountain,.... Which was near to
the city, and is supposed to be the same which is now called Quarantania: Dr. Shaw, a
late traveller in those parts, says (m), from the mountain Quarantania, the very same
perhaps where the two spies concealed themselves, Jos_2:16, we have a distinct view of
the land of the Amorites, of Gilead, and of Bashan, the inheritance of the tribes of
Reuben and Gad, and of the half tribe of Manasseh--to it joins the mountain of
Adummim, and through it the road is cut that leads from Jerusalem to Jericho, where
probably it was from the very nature of the situation that the man fell among thieves,
Luk_10:30; which very probably is the same mountain which Josephus (n) says hung
over the city, and was a very barren one; though the singular may be put for the plural,
since, as Strabo says (o), it was surrounded with mountains:
lest the pursuers meet you; on their return from the fords of Jordan, being
disappointed:
and hide yourselves there three days: some of the Jewish Rabbins, as Jarchi and
Kimchi, observe that she had this by the revelation of the Holy Ghost, that the pursuers
would return at the end of three days; but the latter more truly remarks, that this was
said by conjecture; that Jericho being, as he says, one day from Jordan, and a little more,
by going, returning, and searching for the spies, they would be three days in doing it:
until the pursuers be returned; into the city; for until they were they could not be in
safety, but must be in danger of being met by them and taken up:
and afterward may ye go your way: to Jordan, and so to the camp of Israel, and
that without fear.
JAMISO 16-21, "she said — rather “she had said,” for what follows must have
been part of the previous conversation.
Get you to the mountain — A range of white limestone hills extends on the north,
called Quarantania (now Jebel Karantu), rising to a height of from twelve hundred to
fifteen hundred feet, and the sides of which are perforated with caves. Some one peak
adjoining was familiarly known to the inhabitants as “the mountain.” The prudence and
propriety of the advice to flee in that direction rather than to the ford, were made
apparent by the sequel.
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:16 And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the
pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be
returned: and afterward may ye go your way.
Ver. 16. Get you to the mountain.] This, say some, was spoken after the men were

119. down, in the still of the night, without the wall. [Joshua 2:18] But what a fool was he
who said, Mισω σοφην γυναικα, I hate a discreet woman!
COKE, "Ver. 16. And she said unto them, &c.— It is not probable that the
conversation which begins at this, and ends at the 22nd verse, was held under
Rahab's window. othing could have been more imprudent. She certainly gave
them this excellent advice on dismissing them, immediately before she let them
down. We should therefore translate, and she had said unto them, Get you, &c. that
is, "Take care not to keep the road to Jordan, for you will be discovered: first, retire
to the mountains on the borders of this territory; conceal yourselves in some cave,
and do not make your appearance till after three days; at the end of that time, the
king's people will certainly not think of any further search for you, and you will
easily escape." But why (it may be asked) does Rahab suppose that three days will
be spent in searching for the spies, since it is but two leagues, or two and a half,
from Jericho to Jordan? To which it may be answered, that by three days she
meant, properly speaking, but one day and two nights, apprehending that the
officers of the court, who went out by night, would spend all the next day in looking
for them, and return early on the third day. Or, perhaps, she had learned that they
would go about on all sides for three days together, in order to discover the spies;
and, reasoning from this conjecture, she counsels the spies to hide themselves closely
for three days; because that, after so long a time, it was evident the king's people,
being tired with their fruitless search, would think no more about them.
17 ow the men had said to her, “This oath you
made us swear will not be binding on us
GILL, "And the men said unto her,.... Some think that this discourse, which passed
between the spies and her, was while in the house before she let them down, or
otherwise they would have been in danger of being overheard, and so the whole affair
discovered; but as it was on the other side of the house, and under the wall of the city,
and without it, they might with the greater safety converse together:
we will be blameless of this thine oath which thou hast made us swear; that
is, they would most faithfully and punctually keep it, it should be sacred to them, and
she should have no occasion to lay any blame upon them in the least.

120. K&D 17-20, "In conclusion, the spies guarded against any arbitrary interpretation
and application of their oath, by imposing three conditions, on the non-fulfilment of
which they would be released from their oath. ‫ה‬ֶ ַ‫ה‬ for ‫ּאת‬ ַ‫ה‬ is to be explained in Jos_2:17
from the fact that the gender is often disregarded in the use of the pronoun (see Ewald, §
183, a.), and in Jos_2:18 from the fact that there the gender is determined by the nomen
rectum (see Ewald, §317, d.).
Jos_2:18
The first condition was, that when the town was taken Rahab should make her house
known to the Israelites, by binding “the cord of this crimson thread,” i.e., this cord made
of crimson thread, in the window from which she had let them down. The demonstrative
“this” leads to the conclusion adopted by Luther and others, that “this cord” is the rope
(‫)חבל‬ mentioned in Jos_2:15, as no other word had been mentioned to which they could
refer; and the fact that nothing has been said about the sign in question being either
given or received, precludes the idea that the spies gave the cord to Rahab for a sign. The
crimson or scarlet colour of the cord (‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ = ‫י‬ִ‫נ‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ ‫ת‬ ַ‫ע‬ ַ‫ּול‬ ; see at Exo_25:4), as the colour of
vigorous life, made this cord an expressive sign of the preservation of Rahab's life and
the lives of her relations. The second condition was, that when the town was taken,
Rahab should collect together her parents, and her brothers and her sisters, into her
own house.
Jos_2:19-20
Whoever went outside the door, his blood should be upon his own head; i.e., if he was
slain outside by the Israelitish soldiers, he should bear his death as his own fault. But
every one who was with her in the house, his blood should fall upon their (the spies')
head, if any hand was against them, i.e., touched them or did them harm (vid., Exo_9:3).
The formula, “his blood be upon his head,” is synonymous with the legal formula, “his
blood be upon him” (Lev_20:9). The third condition (Jos_2:20) is simply a repetition of
the principal condition laid down at the very outset (Jos_2:14).
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:17 And the men said unto her, We [will be] blameless of this
thine oath which thou hast made us swear.
Ver. 17. We will be blameless of this thine oath,] q.d, Great haste though we have,
yet will we clear up the terms whereunto we have sworn, to prevent the danger or
rebut the suspicion of perjury. An oath is not to be taken but with a great deal of
caution and circumspection, [Genesis 24:3-5] not in jest, but in judgment, [Jeremiah
4:2 Isaiah 48:1] not rashly and unadvisedly, [Leviticus 5:4 1 Samuel 14:39; 1 Samuel
14:44] as those that swear in heat and choler, when they should with fear,
[Deuteronomy 10:20] discerning the nature of an oath, the necessity, the conditions
and circumstances
BE SO , "Joshua 2:17. The men said — Or, had said; namely, before she let them
down; it being very improbable either that she would dismiss them before the
condition was agreed on, or that she would discourse with them, or they with her,
about such secret and weighty things after they were let down, when others might
overhear them. Blameless — That is, free from guilt or reproach if it be violated;

121. namely, if the following condition be not observed.
COKE, "Ver. 17-20. And the men said unto her, &c.— Before they left her house,
they had answered her request with respect to her security; as they not only engaged
themselves to perform it, but also settled with her about the token which was to be
her safeguard, and to assist them in keeping their word. This token was a line of
scarlet thread, according to our version. But it is not quite clear that ‫שׁני‬ shani
specifies the colour of this line. The word comes from ‫שׁנה‬ shanah, i.e. to double; so
that it may signify in this place, a double, strong, well-twisted line, the same as the
spies made use of to descend from Rahab's window. Gataker is of this opinion.
However, setting one conjecture against another, it must be confessed, that that
founded on the most common signification of the word ‫שׁני‬ sheni, according to the
ancient versions, seems to deserve the preference. It is certain that the LXX,
Chaldee and Syriac, understand by sheni, the colour of scarlet, or, at least, red; and
we may suppose that these ancient interpreters understood the language of the Old
Testament a little better than our modern critics. The Hebrew word ‫תקות‬ tikvath,
rather signifies a riband, or a web, than a line. We may judge of this by the analogy
of the expression with others similar to it. Kevai, in the Chaldee, is a web: kevin,
cobwebs; and mikveh, 1 Kings 10:28 seems to signify cloth. Besides, a scarlet line
would not have been remarkable enough to serve as a safe-guard to Rahab. It is
more natural to suppose, that there was in the apartment, where she communed
with the spies, some piece of stuff of a red colour; and that it was this which they
directed her to hang at the window for her security. See Le Clerc and Calmet.
COFFMA , ""And the men said unto her, We will be guiltless of this thine oath
which thou hast made us to swear. Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt
bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and
thou shalt gather unto thee into the house thy father, and thy mother, and thy
brethren, and all thy father's household. And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out
of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we
shall be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be
on our head, if any hand be upon him. But if thou utter this our business, then we
shall be guiltless of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. And she said,
according to your words so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and
she bound the scarlet line in the window."
Joshua 2:21 indicates that the previous conversation back through Joshua 2:16
came before the woman sent them away. Anyone with even an elementary
understanding of ancient writings should have no trouble understanding what is
written here. "There is no reason for visualizing two sources here, nor for supposing
that this conversation took place `while the spies were dangling from a rope'" (As
alleged by Boling),[25] as stated by John Lilley.[26]
That "scarlet thread" so prominent in this narrative was surely a very strong and
efficient rope, capable of carrying the weight of a man. A red rope is certainly
unusual, and we cannot entirely overlook the connotation throughout history of the

122. color red, often associated with brothels. "The red light district" is an expression
still known in many places.
As to the time when the woman might have bound the scarlet thread in the window,
we agree with Keil that, "She did so when it became necessary."[27]
18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied
this scarlet cord in the window through which you
let us down, and unless you have brought your
father and mother, your brothers and all your
family into your house.
BAR ES, "The “line” or cord was spun of threads dyed with cochineal: i. e., of a deep
and bright scarlet color. The color would catch the eye at once, and supplied an obvious
token by which the house of Rahab might be distinguished. The use of scarlet in the
Levitical rites, especially in those more closely connected with the idea of putting away of
sin and its consequences (compare e. g., Lev_14:4, Lev_14:6,Lev_14:51; Num_19:6),
naturally led the fathers, from Clement of Rome onward, to see in this scarlet thread, no
less than in the blood of the Passover (Exo_12:7, Exo_12:13, etc.), an emblem of
salvation by the Blood of Christ; a salvation common alike to Christ’s messengers and to
those whom they visit.
CLARKE, "This line of scarlet thread - ‫השני‬ ‫חוט‬ ‫תקות‬ tikvath chut hashshani.
Probably this may mean, this piece of scarlet cloth, or, this cloth (made) of scarlet
thread. When the Israelites took the city this piece of red cloth seems to have been hung
out of the window by way of flag; and this was the sign on which she and the spies had
agreed.
GILL, "Behold, when we come into the land,.... The land of Canaan, and into this
city, into that part of it, as the Septuagint, where her house was, meaning not themselves
only, but the people of Israel they belonged to:

123. thou shall bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let
us down by; the word by refers either to the scarlet thread they were let down by, said
to be a cord, Jos_2:15; and therefore must be a line twisted with various scarlet threads,
as Kimchi; who observes, that according to the Targum, it was the border of a red
garment; or to the window through which they were let down, as the Septuagint version;
it may refer to both, and the sense be, that the same twisted cord of scarlet thread they
were let down by should be bound to the same window they were let down through; only
this objection there is to the same window, that it was not towards the city, and so not to
be seen when they came into it, but looked over the wall without the city: now as Rahab
was an instance of the salvation of sinners by the grace of God, for she was a sinner by
birth, by practice, and a notorious one; she was an instance of distinguishing grace, of
free and efficacious grace, a singular instance of it; and became a true penitent, a real
believer, was a justified person, and saved: so the scarlet thread was an emblem of the
blood of Christ, by which salvation is; redemption and all the blessings of grace are
through it; justification, remission of sin, reconciliation, and atonement, and safety, and
protection from avenging justice, and wrath to come, are only by it: likewise the spies,
who are also called "messengers", Jam_2:25; may represent the ministers of the Gospel,
who are the messengers of Christ, and the churches, are sent out by him the antitypical
Joshua, men of wisdom, courage, and valour, and are sent as spies to bring to light men
and things, who direct to the way of salvation and give the same token of it, Mar_16:16,
and thou shall bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all
thy father's household home unto thee; into her house, where the scarlet thread
was bound, and where only they would be safe, as the Israelites were in the houses where
the blood of the paschal lamb was sprinkled, Exo_12:23; and so they are safe, and they
only, who are under the blood of sprinkling, and partake of the virtue of it.
HE RY 18-19, " That she should have all those whose safety she had desired in the
house with her and keep them there, and that, at the time of taking the town, none of
them should dare to stir out of doors, v. 18, 19. This was a necessary proviso, for Rahab's
kindred could not be distinguished any other way than by being in her distinguished
house; should they mingle with their neighbours, there was no remedy, but the sword
would devour one as well as another. It was a reasonable proviso that, since they were
saved purely for Rahab's sake, her house should have the honour of being their castle,
and that, if they would not perish with those that believed not, they should thus far
believe the certainty and severity of the ruin coming upon their city as to retire into a
place made safe by promise, as Noah into the ark and Lot into Zoar, and should save
themselves from this untoward generation, by separating from them. It was likewise a
significant proviso, intimating to us that those who are added to the church that they
may be saved must keep close to the society of the faithful, and, having escaped the
corruption that is in the world through lust, must take heed of being again entangled
therein. (3.) That she should keep counsel (v. 14, 20): If thou utter this our business, that
is, “If thou betray us when we are gone, or if thou make this agreement public, so as that
others tie scarlet lines in their windows and so confound us, then we will be clear of thy
oath.” Those are unworthy of the secret of the Lord that know now how to keep it to
themselves when there is occasion.
TRAPP, "Joshua 2:18 Behold, [when] we come into the land, thou shalt bind this
line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt

124. bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household,
home unto thee.
Ver. 18. And thou shalt bring thy father, &c.] Who, if not there found when we
storm the town, shall perish at their own peril. So shall all not found to be of the
family of faith, and within God’s doors. The devil sweeps all that are out of the
covenant.
BE SO ,"Joshua 2:18. When we come into the land — That is, over Jordan, and
near the city. This line of scarlet — The Hebrew word, ‫,תקות‬ tickvath, more properly
means, rope, riband, or web. Probably the same with which she was about to let
them down. Window — That it may be easily discerned by our soldiers.
WHEDO , "18. Thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window — A small
rope or cord composed of crimson threads. The English version conveys the idea
that this cord was used in letting down the spies. But the Hebrew, Septuagint, and
Vulgate make the window the antecedent of which, thus — the window through
which thou didst let us down. The scarlet cord was probably the token (Joshua 2:12)
given to Rahab in proof of their oath. But the scarlet of the thread by which she and
her house were to be saved, though a suggestive emblem of the blood of the
atonement, (as advanced by St. Clement,) can hardly be considered, like the blood of
the paschal lamb on the door post, an appointed type.
And thou shall bring thy father — The persons to whom deliverance is pledged
must be separated front the mass of the people and gathered within the house of
Rahab, otherwise they must perish in the impending universal destruction. So must
those who hope to escape the general doom of this sinful world be gathered into the
house of God, the Church of Jesus Christ.
ELLICOTT, "(18) The window which thou didst let us down by.—It seems almost
needless to observe that the scarlet line and the cord by which the men were lowered
are not the same thing, but described by different words in the original. It would
have been preposterous to require Rahab to display in her window the means by
which the spies had escaped. It would at once have declared the tale to all
beholders—the very thing Rahab was pledged not to do. The “line of scarlet thread”
and the “stalks of flax” on the roof were probably parts of the same business, and
thus there would be nothing unusual in what was exhibited at the window, although
it would be a sufficient token to those who were in the secret, to enable them to
identify the house.
19 If any of them go outside your house into the

125. street, their blood will be on their own heads; we
will not be responsible. As for those who are in the
house with you, their blood will be on our head if
a hand is laid on them.
GILL, "And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the door of thy house
into the street,.... After they have been taken in, and when the Israelites were come
into the city:
his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless; if he is killed by any
person, his death will be owing to himself, and no blame to be laid on us; nor shall we
reckon ourselves guilty of the breach of the oath taken:
and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our
head, if any hand be upon him: if anyone within doors is killed by an Israelite
entering in, the guilt of the blood shall lie upon us, and we will be answerable, according
to the tenor of the oath, "our life for yours", Jos_2:14.
HE RY, "
JAMISO , "
BE SO , "Joshua 2:19. Upon his head — The blame of his death shall rest wholly
upon himself, as being occasioned by his own neglect of the means of safety. Our
head — We are willing to bear the sin, and shame, and punishment of it. If any
hand be upon him — So as to kill him.
ELLICOTT, "(19) Whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street,
his blood shall be upon his head.—Comp. Exodus 12:22 (the account of the
Passover), “Ye shall. . . . strike the lintel and the two side-posts with the blood that is
in the bason: and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning;
for the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians.” What the blood was to the
houses of Israel in Egypt, that the scarlet line in the window was to the house of
Rahab. Both alike prefigured “the precious blood of Christ.”

126. 20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be
released from the oath you made us swear.”
CLARKE, "If thou utter this our business - It was prudent to make her life
depend on her secresy; had it been otherwise she might have been tempted to give
information, not only concerning the spies, but concerning the designs of the Israelites.
But her life being at stake, added to every other motive, she kept the secret for the sake
of her own personal safety and that of all her relatives.
GILL, "And if thou utter this our business,.... So that others would either hang
out scarlet threads or get into her house for shelter; see Gill on Jos_2:14,
then we will be quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear; be under
no obligation to make it good, by saving her and her father's house.
21 “Agreed,” she replied. “Let it be as you say.”
So she sent them away, and they departed. And
she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
GILL, "And she said, according to your words, so be it,.... She agreed, that if the
conditions required were not performed, they would be quit of their oath, but if they
were, she expected it would be fulfilled:
and she sent them away, and they departed; took their leave of each other:
and she bound the scarlet line in the window; immediately, as Abarbinel thinks,
and in the sight of the spies, that they might see that she conformed to their direction,
and that they might take notice where she fastened it; and that she herself might, at the
sight of it, be put in mind of the design of it, and be an encouragement to her faith as to

127. the safety of her and her father's house; and it being a thing so trifling and insignificant
in itself, would not be taken notice of by the inhabitants, or be thought to be done with
any design; though, according to the instruction of the spies, it seems as if it was to be
done when they came into the land, and into the city, and which seems most likely that it
was then done.
HE RY, "She then took effectual care to secure her new friends, and sent them out
another way, Jam_2:25. Having fully understood the bargain they made with her, and
consented to it (Jos_2:21), she then let them down by a cord over the city wall (Jos_
2:15), the situation of her house befriending them herein: thus Paul made his escape out
of Damascus, 2Co_11:33. She also directed them which way to go for their own safety,
being better acquainted with the country than they were, Jos_2:16. she directs them to
leave the high road, and abscond in the mountains till the pursuers returned, for till then
they could not safely venture over Jordan. those that are in the way of God and their
duty may expect that Providence will protect them, but this will not excuse them from
taking all prudent methods for their own safety. God will keep us, but then we must not
wilfully expose ourselves. Providence must be trusted, but not tempted. Calvin thinks
that their charge to Rahab to keep this matter secret, and not to utter it, was intended for
her safety, lest she, boasting of her security from the sword of Israel, should, before they
came to protect her, fall into the hands of the king of Jericho and be put to death for
treason: thus do they prudently advise her for her safety, as she advised them for theirs.
And it is good advice, which we should at any time be thankful for, to take heed to
ourselves.
JAMISO , "she bound the scarlet line in the window — probably soon after
the departure of the spies. It was not formed, as some suppose, into network, as a lattice,
but simply to hang down the wall. Its red color made it conspicuous, and it was thus a
sign and pledge of safety to Rahab’s house, as the bloody mark on the lintels of the
houses of the Israelites in Egypt to that people.
K&D, "When Rahab had accepted all these conditions, she let the men go, and bound
the red cord in the window. It is not to be supposed that she did this at once, but merely
as soon as it was necessary. It is mentioned here for the purpose of bringing the subject
to a close.
WHEDO , "21. And she bound the scarlet line in the window — This statement is
here made to complete the account, not to indicate that she bound the line in the
window as soon as the spies were gone. She did this on the approach of the Hebrew
host, in season to secure the deliverance of which this was the token. To have
displayed it immediately would have been unnecessary, and would have incurred
the suspicions of her watchful countrymen.
COKE, "Ver. 21. And she bound the scarlet line in the window— It is pretty
generally supposed, that Rahab bound it there immediately, and there left it till
Joshua made himself master of Jericho. But, as this affectation might have made her
suspected by the people of the city, it has seemed most reasonable to others to

128. suppose, that Rahab did not place this token at the window till the army of Israel
had approached the city.
22 When they left, they went into the hills and
stayed there three days, until the pursuers had
searched all along the road and returned without
finding them.
BAR ES, "Unto the mountain - Probably the mountains to the west and north of
Jericho, called afterward, from the belief that the 40 days of our Lord’s temptation were
passed among them, the Quarantania. The spies avoided at the first the neighhourhood
of the Jordan, where the pursuers sought them: and amidst the grottoes of the limestone
rocks, which in later ages were the abode of numerous hermits, they could readily shelter
themselves for three days.
GILL, "And they went, and came unto the mountain,.... Rahab had directed
them to, the mountain Quarantania; see Gill on Jos_2:16,
and abode there three days; being, no doubt, supplied with food by Rahab; and it
might not be three wholly, but one whole day and part of the other two:
until the pursuers were returned; to the city of Jericho, as might reasonably be
supposed:
and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way; from Jericho to the fords
of Jordan, searching every hedge, field, and village as they went and returned:
but found them not; Rahab having hid them in her house, and then sent them to the
mountain, there to remain till the return of the pursuers.
HE RY 22-24, "We have here the safe return of the spies Joshua had sent, and the
great encouragement they brought with them to Israel to proceed in their descent upon
Canaan. Had they been disposed to discourage the people, as the evil spies did that

129. Moses sent, they might have told them what they had observed of the height and
strength of the walls of Jericho, and the extraordinary vigilance of the king of Jericho,
and how narrowly they escaped out of his hands; but they were of another spirit, and,
depending themselves upon the divine promise, they animated Joshua likewise. 1. Their
return in safety was itself an encouragement to Joshua, and a token for good. that God
provided for them so good a friend as Rahab was in an enemy's country, and that
notwithstanding the rage of the king of Jericho and the eagerness of the pursuers they
had come back in peace, was such an instance of God's great care concerning them for
Israel's sake as might assure the people of the divine guidance and care they were under,
which should undoubtedly make the progress of their arms glorious. He that so
wonderfully protected their scouts would preserve their men of war, and cover their
heads in the day of battle. 2. The report they brought was much more encouraging (v.
24): “All the inhabitants of the country, though resolved to stand it out, yet do faint
because of us, they have neither wisdom to yield nor courage to fight,” whence they
conclude, “Truly the Lord has delivered into our hands all the land, it is all our own; we
have nothing to do, in effect, but to take possession.” Sinners' frights are sometimes sure
presages of their fall. If we resist our spiritual enemies they will flee before us, which will
encourage us to hope that in due time we shall be more than conquerors.
K&D, "The spies remained three days in the mountains, till the officers returned to the
town, after searching for them the whole way in vain. The mountains referred to are
probably the range on the northern side of Jericho, which afterwards received the name
of Quarantana (Arab. Kuruntul), a wall of rock rising almost precipitously from the
plain to the height of 1200 or 1500 feet, and full of grottoes and caves on the eastern
side. These mountains were well adapted for a place of concealment; moreover, they
were the nearest to Jericho, as the western range recedes considerably to the south of
Wady Kelt (vid., Rob. ii. p. 289).
BE SO , "Verse 22-23
Joshua 2:22-23. Three days — Supporting themselves there with the provisions
which Rahab had furnished them with. The way — That is, in the road to Jordan,
and the places near it, but not in the mountains. Passed over — Jordan unto Joshua.
WHEDO , "22. Abode there three days — In reckoning time, the Jews count as
whole days the parts of days which may be included in a given period. Hence the
body of Jesus was said to be in the tomb three days, though it was laid there on
Friday evening and he came forth on Sunday morning — a space of thirty-six hours.
See note on Matthew 12:40. [So these spies may have remained in the caverns of the
mountains only parts of three days, and the entire time of their absence from the
camp at Shittim fell within the three days at the end of which, if not before, Joshua
intended to be on his march across the Jordan. See note on Joshua 1:11.] 23. Passed
over — That is, Jordan. These scouts were probably expert in swimming, for the
Jordan was then at its flood.
Came to Joshua — It is not necessary to suppose that they returned to the camp at
Shittim. But the history most naturally implies this.
COKE, "Ver. 22. &c. And they went, &c.— The risk they had run took from them

130. the desire of making fresh inquiries, which might have been as dangerous as useless,
having already received sufficient information from Rahab at Jericho. Supplied
with provisions, therefore, they concealed themselves in the neighbouring
mountains; and on the third day after their departure from that city, having
repassed the Jordan, returned to the camp of Joshua, and gave him an account of
their enterprize; who, doubtless, could not but be extremely rejoiced at having met
with better success in his choice of emissaries, than Moses had before done on a like
occasion.
COFFMA , ""And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three
days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout
all the way, but found them not. Then the two men returned, and descended from
the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of un; and they told
him all that had befallen them. And they said unto Joshua, Truly God hath
delivered into our hands all the land; and moreover, all the inhabitants of the land
do melt away before us."
"Amidst the grottoes of the limestone rocks, which in later times were the abode of
many hermits, they could easily have sheltered themselves for three days."[28]
"The fords of the Jordan," mentioned back in Joshua 2:7, does not mean that
adequate passage for a nation like Israel was located there. It is even doubtful that
the spies were able to use them, due to the flood-stage of the river. Many
commentators have expressed the opinion that the spies "swam the river," both
coming into Jericho, and after leaving it. The Septuagint (LXX), also, seems to
indicate the same thing, due to their mention of the spies as "young men," who
would have been able to do such a thing.
The report of these spies to Joshua must have been a source of infinite
encouragement to the Commander. Up to here, Joshua could have supposed that a
military assault would be necessary, but, after this report, he no doubt sought to
know the will of God by every means open to him. In these circumstances, God
spoke directly to Joshua (Joshua 3:7) with specific instructions on how the conquest
was to proceed.
CO STABLE, "Verses 22-24
The "hill country" referred to ( Joshua 2:22-23) was probably the mountainous
area west of Jericho. This area contains many caves in the "deeply eroded and
lonely chalk hills" and many "isolated canyons cut through the 1 ,500 feet high]
limestone cliffs." [ ote: James Monson, The Land Between, p163.] The spies
evidently were absent from the Israelite camp a total of three days ( Joshua 2:22; cf.
Joshua 1:11; Joshua 3:2).
One of the major emphases in this chapter is God"s faithfulness. When the spies
returned to Shittim with news that some of the Canaanites believed that Yahweh
would give the Israelites the land, God"s people would have felt greatly encouraged

131. ( Joshua 2:9-11; Joshua 2:24; cf. Joshua 1:2-3; cf. Joshua 1:6; cf. Joshua 1:11; cf.
Joshua 1:15).
This chapter also shows that God will deliver those who seek salvation from coming
judgment, regardless of their past or present sins, if they have faith in Him. Rahab
believed Yahweh was the true God ( Joshua 2:11; cf. Ruth 1:16; 1 John 5:1). Her
protection of the spies demonstrated the sincerity of her faith ( Joshua 2:6; cf. James
2:25). Her confidence about her preservation from the coming judgment rested on
the promise given to her by God"s spokesmen ( Joshua 2:21; cf. John 6:47).
"If Joshua represents the Israelite male who finds guidance and success through
faith in the LORD God, does Rahab represent his counterpart, the Canaanite
female who also finds guidance and success through faith in the LORD God? In one
of the most nationalistic books in the Hebrew Bible, does it not serve the purposes of
the promise to Abraham that "all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (
Genesis 12:3) to place side by side with the choice of a military leader and his initial
preparations for battle, the story of a foreign woman who believed and was saved
without arms or bloodshed?" [ ote: Hess, pp96-97.]
"The spies violated God"s explicit command that none of the people living in the
land were to be spared ( Deuteronomy 7:1-6; Deuteronomy 20:16-18). Rahab,
however, turned to God and sought deliverance. Her experience is proof of the
gracious saving purpose of God. His overarching decree is that "everyone who calls
on the name of the LORD will be saved" ( Joel 2:32). This is one of the most
dramatic examples of grace in the OT and is set in bold relief by the questionable
aspects of Rahab"s profession and conversion.
"The salvation of Rahab is an example of what God would have done for others
also. The king and the other citizens of Jericho knew all that she knew, but they did
not turn to Israel"s God for mercy. The fear that drove her to beg for mercy drove
them in their stubborn rebellion. Accordingly, the others are called "the
disobedient" in Hebrews 11:31 ..." [ ote: Madvig, p264.]
Contrast the response of the inevites in Jonah"s day.
23 Then the two men started back. They went
down out of the hills, forded the river and came to
Joshua son of un and told him everything that
had happened to them.

132. CLARKE, "So the two men returned - Having concealed themselves in the
mountains that night, all the next day, and the night ensuing, on the third day they
returned to Joshua.
GILL, "So the two men returned, and descended from the mountain,.... Or
came down from it again, by which, it seems, they went to the top of it, and hid
themselves in some cave there: this descent, Kimchi says, was,"on the third day of their
being sent, which was the second day of the three days Joshua made mention of when he
said, "within three days";''See Gill on Jos_1:11,
and passed over; that is, the river Jordan, at the fords of it:
and came to Joshua the son of Nun; at Shittim, where he still continued, and from
whence he sent them, Jos_2:1,
and told him all things that befell them; what house they went into when come to
Jericho, what reception they met with, the report of them to the king of Jericho, how
messengers were sent by him to demand them, and by what means they were preserved
and made their escape.
K&D, "After this they returned to the camp across the Jordan, and informed Joshua
of all that had befallen them, and all that they had heard. On Jos_2:24, see Jos_2:9.
24 They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely
given the whole land into our hands; all the people
are melting in fear because of us.”
CLARKE, "Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land - How
different was this report from that brought by the spies on a former occasion! They

133. found that all the inhabitants of the land were panic-struck. The people had heard of the
great exploits of the Israelites on the other side of Jordan; and as they had destroyed the
potent kings of the Amorites, they took it for granted that nothing could stand before
them. This information was necessary to Joshua to guide him in forming the plan of his
campaign.
1. It may be asked, Did not Rahab lie in the account she gave to the officers of the
king of Jericho, (Jos_2:4, Jos_2:5), There came men unto me, etc.? I answer, She
certainly did; and the inspired writer sets down the fact merely as it stood, without
making the Spirit of God responsible for the dissimulation of the woman. But was
she not rewarded, etc.? Yes; for her hospitality and faith, not for her lie. But could
she have saved the spies without telling a lie? Yes, she certainly might; but what
notion could a woman of her occupation, though nothing worse than an inn-
keeper, have of the nicer distinctions between truth and falsehood, living among a
most profligate and depraved people, where truth could scarcely be known?
2. There is a lax morality in the world that recommends a lie rather than the truth,
when the purposes of religion and humanity can be served by it. But when can this
be? The religion of Christ is one eternal system of truth, and can neither be served
by a lie nor admit one. On this vile subject fine words have been spoken. Tasso, in
his elegant episode of Sophronia and Olindo, in the Gerusalemme Liberata, b. ii.,
v. 22, represents the former as telling a lie to Saladdin, relative to the stealing of an
image, for which, as he could not discover the culprit, he doomed all the Christians
in his power to death. Sophronia, a pious Christian virgin, getting into the
presence of the tyrant, in order to save her people, accuses herself, though
perfectly innocent, of the theft. Her conduct on this occasion the poet embellishes
in the following manner, for which the religion of that time, which dealt in holy
frauds, would no doubt applaud him.
‘Ed ella: il reo si trova al tuo cospetto;
Opra e il furto, Signor, di questa mano
Io l’immagine tolsi; Io son colei
Che tu ricerchi, e me punir tu dei.
Cosi al pubblico fato il capo altero
Offerse, e ‘l volle in se sol racorre.
Magnanima Menzogna! or quando e il Vero
Si Bello, che si possa a te preporre?”
Then she: “Before thy sight the guilty stands;
The theft, O King, committed by these hands.
In me the thief who stole the image view!
To me the punishment decreed is due.”
Thus, filled with public zeal, the generous dame
A victim for her people’s ransom came.
O great deceit! O lie divinely fair!
What truth with such a falsehood can compare!
Hoole.
Thus a lie is ornamented with splendid decorations both by the Italian and English
poet, and the whole formed into an anti-apostolic maxim, Let us do Evil, that Good may
come of it. A purer morality was taught by one of the most ancient heathen writers than

134. is here preached by these demi-christians: -
Εχθρος γαρ µοι κεινος, ᆇµως αιʷδαο πυλησιν,
ᆍς χ’ ᅛτερον µεν κευθει ενι φρεσιν, αλλο δε βαζει.
Iliad. l. ix., v. 312.
My soul detests him as the gates of hell,
Who knows the truth and dares a falsehood tell.
The following is the advice of a genuine Christian poet, and one of the holiest men of
his time: -
Lie not; but let thy heart be true to God;
Thy tongue to it, thy actions to them both
Cowards tell lies, and those who fear the rod;
The stormy working soul spits lies and froth.
Dare To Be True! nothing can Need a lie.
The fault that needs it most grows Two thereby.
Herbert.
For other observations on this subject see the notes on Gen_12:20, at the end, and
Gen_20:12.
3. Though the hand of God was evidently in every thing that concerned the Israelites,
and they were taught to consider that by his might alone they were to be put in
possession of the promised land; yet they were as fully convinced that if they did
not use the counsel, prudence, and strength which they had received from him,
they should not succeed. Hence, while they depended on the Divine direction and
power, they exercised their own prudence, and put forth their own strength; and
thus they were workers together with him, and did not receive the grace of God in
vain. The application of this maxim is easy; and we cannot expect any success,
either in things spiritual or temporal, unless we walk by the same rule and mind
the same thing.
GILL, "And they said unto Joshua,.... Made a report of what they had got
knowledge of, which answered the end of their mission:
truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land: which they concluded
by the terror the inhabitants of it were in, and so in no condition to make resistance and
defend themselves; and they not only judged of the whole land by the case of the
inhabitants of Jericho, but were assured by Rahab that all the inhabitants of the land
were in the same plight and condition, Jos_2:9,
for even the inhabitants of the country do faint because of us; this was the
temper and disposition they appeared in, and seems to be what Joshua was chiefly
desirous of knowing; since nothing else is told by the spies nor inquired of by him, but
immediately upon this report began his march towards Canaan, as in the next chapter is
related.

135. CALVI , "24.And they said unto Joshua, etc. This passage shows that Joshua was
not mistaken in selecting his spies; for their language proves them to have been
right-hearted men possessed of rare integrity. Others, perhaps, not recovered from
the terror into which they had once been thrown, would have disturbed the whole
camp, but these, while they reflect on the wonderful kindness of God, displayed in
their escape from danger, and the happy issue of their expedition, exhort Joshua
and the people to go boldly forward. And although the mere promise of possessing
the land ought to have been sufficient, yet the Lord is so very indulgent to their
weakness, that, for the sake of removing all doubt, he confirms what he had
promised by experience. That the Lord had not spoken in vain, was proved by the
consternation of the nations, when it began already to put them to flight., and to
drive them out, as if hornets had been sent in upon them. For they argue in the same
way as Rahab had done, that the land was given to them, as the inhabitants had
almost fainted away from fear. I have therefore used the illative particle for, though
the literal meaning is, and also. But it is sufficiently plain, that in the other way
there is a confirmation of what they had said. And, indeed, the courage of all melted
away, as if they felt themselves routed by the hand of God.
WHEDO , "24. Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands all the land — A
nation palsied with despair is already conquered. The result of the mission of the
spies was very encouraging to Joshua. The principal thing they reported, and
probably that which it had been their chief object to ascertain, was the fear and
trembling which prevailed among the idolatrous inhabitants of the land.